


BeChloe Week 2019

by BeChloeIsLegit



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-10 01:37:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 37,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19897741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeChloeIsLegit/pseuds/BeChloeIsLegit
Summary: My submissions for BeChloe Week 2019 (plus one day). Each chapter will be the theme (prompt) for that day. I do not own any parts of the 'Pitch Perfect' franchise, its characters, or the actors/actresses who play them. Rated Mature for language.





	1. SOULMATES

Eighteen-year-old Beca Mitchell continued to stare at the half-tattoos centered on each of her wrists, wondering how they would be joined together when she finally met her soulmate. According to _The Higher Power_ , when you meet your soulmate the two halves would join together and become one single tattoo on your right wrist; your soulmate would be sporting the same, identical tattoo.

Not all tattoos were the same. The colors and shapes varied from person to person. It was one of the only ways to make sure you were with your true soulmate.

For Beca, her tattoos were one-half of a G-sharp musical note. For her colors, the top half of the musical note was red, while the bottom half was black. She thought it was appropriate for her since music had become a big part of her life. She also hoped that if she ever did find her soulmate, they would like music as much as she did.

Beca shook her head at that thought. She never believed the hype about soulmates before, and she didn't see any reason to believe it now. Her mom and dad found each other and fell in love without their soulmate tattoos becoming one. A tightness came to her chest when she thought about her mom.

Sarah Cooke met Benjamin Mitchell when they were both just twenty years old. Neither had met their soulmates.

The two became best friends before falling in love. They knew there was always the possibility their true soulmates were out there, but they didn't care. They loved each other and at twenty-two, they got married.

Two years later, Beca Cooke Mitchell was born and her parents were ecstatic. Things went well for the next five years; that was when everything went to Hell. And least that's how Beca felt about it.

_**~~ DAY 1 - SOULMATES ~~** _

Thirteen years earlier, when Beca was five years old, her father slowly walked into the house and looked at her mother with tears in his eyes.

"What's wrong, Ben?" Sarah asked.

Ben held up his right arm and pulled up the sleeve of his shirt. Sarah gasped and put a hand to her mouth. His soulmate tattoos had joined together into one.

"When?" Sarah asked.

"At lunch," Ben said. "I met a visiting professor and it happened. She showed me hers and, and we matched. Her name is Sheila."

Sarah sat down on the sofa and put her head in her hands. "What are you going to do?"

"I, um, I don't know," Ben said as he sat next to Sarah and took her hand in his. "I do know that _The Higher Power_ won't let us stay together. They'll force me to leave you."

"I love you," Sarah said.

"I love you, too," Ben said. "I don't want to lose you or Beca, but I won't be allowed to stay with you."

Sarah nodded her head. "We knew this was a possibility," she said and wiped at the tears on her face. "I hate this!"

"Me, too," Ben said, pulling Sarah into a hug. "To make this easier, I'll pack my stuff up and leave tonight."

"We need to tell Beca," Sarah mumbled against Ben's chest.

"I know," Ben said. "I'll pack and then we'll tell her together at dinner."

Sarah let out a soft sob and nodded her head.

_**~~ DAY 1 - SOULMATES ~~** _

Beca wiped the tears from her eyes. She didn't understand any of this when she was five, and she still wasn't sure she understood at age eighteen. Her parents married because they were in love. She hated her father since it was so easy for him to walk away from them both without looking back. She hadn't seen or heard from her father since the day he left.

She lost her mom when she was killed in a car accident two years ago. Her mom was thirty-eight years old and had not met her soulmate. This really bothered Beca. Especially knowing that her father was living a happy and fulfilling with his soulmate, without a thought or care for her or her mother. And it hurt Beca that her dad hadn't shown up for her when her mother died.

It bothered her more when her dad finally did show up. He came to her High School graduation and demanded that she go to college. Her Aunt Stephanie had no choice but to make her go as he was still her father. She was not looking forward to seeing him again.

The taxi stopped as close to the entrance of the Freshman dorms as he could, bringing Beca out of her trip down memory lane. Beca got out and went around to the trunk; she grabbed her computer bag and a guy with a cart grabbed her other bags. They made their way to Beca's dorm building and got in line to wait their turn for the elevator.

Beca had unpacked everything and looked around the room. This was going to be her home for the next nine months and she wanted to make it as comfortable as possible.

She placed the last book on the shelf and decided to head out to find something to eat. As she walked around she realized she was in the middle of the activities fair. She checked out a few booths and found herself standing in front of a white sign with a blue cursive B in the middle of it.

Beca looked up when a flyer was thrust in front of her. She looked up to see a pretty redhead with gorgeous blue eyes staring at her.

Before Beca could say anything she was knocked down by some guy rushing past her. He did have the courtesy to stop and help her up. The redhead also reached down to help her, as well as the blonde who had been standing next to her.

"I'm really sorry," the guy said. "I'm Jesse. Jesse Swanson."

"Um, Beca," Beca said.

"Aubrey, could you bring her a bottle of water?" the redhead asked her friend.

"Here you go, Chloe," Aubrey said as she handed Chloe the water.

Chloe turned to hand the water to Beca.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jesse asked

"Thanks," Beca said as she took the water. She looked at Jesse. "Don't worry about it, dude. I'm fine. No harm done."

"I'm glad," Jesse said. "I'm sorry but I really have to go. I need to sign up to audition for the Trebles."

"No problem, dude," Beca said. "Go ahead."

"Thanks," Jesse said and ran off.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Chloe asked. "You did have a pretty hard fall."

"I'm fine, really," Beca said. "I'm going to go now."

"What's your full name?" the redhead asked.

"Um, Beca Mitchell," Beca said.

"Nice to meet you, Beca Mitchell," the redhead said, holding out her hand for Beca to shake. "I'm Chloe Beale, and this is my best friend, Aubrey Posen. We're the co-Captains of the Barden Bellas."

Beca took her hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Chloe. You, too, Aubrey."

Aubrey just sniffed and turned to talk with someone else.

"Here," Chloe said. "Take a flyer and, if you have time, come to auditions."

"Um, sure," Beca said with a small smile. "It was nice meeting you."

"You, too," Chloe said as she watched Beca walk away.

Beca looked back over her shoulder to see Chloe still looking at her. She gave her a small wave and smiled at her. Chloe smiled back and watched as she got lost in the crowd before turning to return to her table.

_**~~ DAY 1 - SOULMATES ~~** _

Chloe reached to pick up more flyers when she let out a gasp.

"Brey!" Chloe called out, causing Aubrey to look at her.

"What's wrong?" Aubrey asked.

"Look!" Chloe said, holding up her wrist.

"Chloe!" Aubrey said excitedly. "You met your soulmate."

"So did you," Chloe said, grabbing Aubrey's arm and holding it up.

Aubrey gasped and looked around. "Who was it?"

_**~~ DAY 1 - SOULMATES ~~** _

Jesse was signing up to audition for the Barden Treblemakers when one of them noticed his tattoo.

"Congratulations, dude," the guy said. "Is she hot?"

"What?" Jesse asked in confusion.

"You're tattoo," the guy said, pointing at Jesse's wrist.

"I'll be damned," Jesse said. "This must have just happened."

"Who is it?" the guy asked.

"I don't know," Jesse responded. "I met three girls just now. They were all over at the Bellas booth."

_**~~ DAY 1 - SOULMATES ~~** _

Later that evening, Beca was in her dorm room reading one of her textbooks. She couldn't really concentrate because she couldn't get the redhead out of her mind. She decided to change into pajamas and get comfortable.

She took off her leather wrist bands and threw them on her desk. She reached to take off her shirt when she noticed something on her wrist. She looked down at her wrists and her eyes widened.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," Beca cried. "When did this happen? Shit!"

Beca grabbed the door and pulled it open. She blindly started to run out the door, only to fall back as she ran into someone. Two strong hands grabbed her and keep her from falling to the floor.

"Beca," a voice said. "Are you okay?"

"Dad?" Beca said. "I, I, uh, I-" Beca couldn't speak so she held up her wrist to show her father.

"Oh," Ben Mitchell said. "I can't wait to meet him."

"I don't know who it is," Beca said, stumbling over to sit on the edge of her bed.

"What do you mean you don't know who it is," Ben asked.

"I was wearing wrist bands and never noticed it until just now," Beca said. "I met and talked to like six people today. It could have been any one of them."

"I guess you're going to have to do some detective work," Ben said.

"This is a huge campus," Beca said. "How am I supposed to find them?"

"Where did you meet them?" Ben asked.

"I met three of them at the Activities Fair," Beca said. "There was this guy, Jesse, who ran into me and knocked me down. Then there were two girls, Aubrey and Chloe. They were manning a booth for the Barden Bellas, and helped me when I got knocked down."

"The two girls should be easy to find," Beca said. "Did Jesse say anything to you? Maybe give you a hint as to where you might find him."

"He did say he was going to sign up for the Troubles or something," Beca said.

"Trebles," Ben corrected. "It's an all-male a capella group. What about the other three you met? Where did you meet them?"

"Um, two guys at the radio station booth," Beca said. "One was named Luke and I can't remember the other guy's name. And, the last one was a girl at the diner where I got something to eat. She was my waitress and her name was Nancy."

"Well, it should be easy to find the waitress and the radio station guys," Ben said.

"The others are part of that a capella thing and they have auditions in a week," Beca said. "I guess I'll have to wait until then to find those three."

"Keep me posted," Ben said. "This is quite exciting."

"I guess," Beca said. "What did you come by for anyway?"

_**~~ DAY 1 - SOULMATES ~~** _

Beca wore her leather bands to cover her wrists so no one could tell she only had one tattoo. Two days after talking to her dad, she entered the radio station to begin her internship. As she was talking to the guy at the front desk, Jesse walked in.

"Hey," Jesse said with a big smile. "You're my soulmate."

"What?" Beca asked.

"My tattoos joined when we met," Jesse said. "So, you must be my soulmate."

Beca swallowed and looked at Jesse. "Let me see."

Jesse held up his wrist and Beca looked down at it. Jesse's full tattoo was of what Beca thought was a film reel. The top half was yellow and the bottom was orange.

"Sorry, dude. It's not me," Beca said and took off her wrist band to show him,

"Wow," Jesse said somewhat disappointed. "I was so sure it was you." Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he grinned. "That means my soulmate is either the hot blonde or redhead that you were with."

"This also means," Beca said. "That my soulmate could be one of them as well. Plus, two other guys that work here, and a waitress that works at the diner."

"Wow," Jesse said. "That's a lot of possibilities."

"Yeah," Beca said. "I can knock two more off my list as soon as I can find Luke and Brad? Bryan? A guy who works here at the station. I met all of you within like an hour of each other."

"Which one do you hope it is?" Jesse asked.

"I'm not picking one," Beca said. "What if I really like one and another is my soulmate. I can't live through that again."

"Again?" Jesse asked, intrigued by the statement.

Beca sighed and ran a hand through her hair. _Fuck it_ , she thought and told Jesse about her parents.

After she finished, Jesse said, "Wow, that sucks."

"Yeah," Beca said. "So, I'm not going to allow myself to fall for someone who is not my soulmate. It's too heartbreaking when one of you finds your real soulmate."

"I'm sorry, Beca," Jesse said. "That has to be hard to take. Maybe we can help each other figure out which soulmate is ours."

"You want to hit up the diner after work?" Beca asked. "I can knock one off my list if Nancy the waitress isn't mine."

"Hey, Jesse," a guy called out as he entered the station.

" _That's him_ ," Beca mouthed to Jesse, once she saw the guy.

"Hey, Bryan," Jesse said. "We were just talking soulmates. Have you found yours?"

"Yep," Bryan said. "Met him last year. How about you?"

"I actually met mine two days ago," Jesse said. "The only problem is, it could be one of two girls."

"Good luck with that," Bryan said with a chuckle. "You guys here for your internship?"

"Yeah," Jesse said.

"Come on," Bryan said. "I have to talk to Luke and then he'll show you around and tell you what you'll be doing."

Beca and Jesse followed Bryan into the studio area.

"Wait here," Bryan said and walked over to the booth and knocked lightly. Luke stood and opened the door. He put his arms up to hold onto the top of the doorframe while he talked to Bryan.

"Beca," Jessed called to get her attention.

Beca looked up and Jesse nodded his head toward Luke. She looked over and noticed Luke's wrists. He still had two half tattoos showing on his wrists.

"I guess that leaves Nancy, Chloe, or Aubrey," Beca said.

"I guess we're going to the diner for dinner," Jesse said with a grin.

"I guess we are," Beca said.

_**~~ DAY 1 - SOULMATES ~~** _

Beca was walking back to her dorm with Jesse after leaving the diner. Nancy, the waitress, had already found and married, her soulmate.

"Well, that leaves me with two to go," Beca mumbled.

"You mean that leaves us with two to go," Jesse said. "So, how are we going to find them?"

"I was thinking we should wait until auditions," Beca said. "They're both co-Captains of the Bellas so they'll have to be there."

"Sounds like a plan," Jesse said. "We'll be soul-bros trying to help each other find their soulmate."

"Don't say that again, it's not a thing," Beca said. "And it just sounds wrong."

"Fine," Jesse said with a shrug. "But, we are going to be best friends. It's inevitable because our soulmates are best friends, too."

Beca couldn't help but smile. It might not be so bad having Jesse as a friend.

_**~~ DAY 1 - SOULMATES ~~** _

"Have you seen Jesse or Beca?" Chloe asked Aubrey as they sat studying together.

Aubrey and Chloe had figured that they had met Beca and Jesse at the same time, so one of them had to their soulmates.

"No," Aubrey said. "We know Jesse will be at auditions. We'll have to wait until then to find out which of us is his soulmate."

"The waiting is killing me," Chloe said.

"I wasn't expecting my soulmate to be younger," Aubrey said. "And I wasn't expecting my soulmate to be a girl either."

"Beca may not be your soulmate," Chloe said quickly, and then blushed.

"I hope she isn't," Aubrey said, and seeing the look Chloe gave her, she continued. "I can tell how attracted you are to her and it would be awkward if she were my soulmate is all I'm saying."

"Jesse's cute," Chloe said. "But, I do feel more of a connection to Beca."

"I agree, he is cute," Aubrey said with a small smile. "And I feel a connection to him. Let's hope we both get who we want"

"Yeah," Chloe said as her thoughts went to a dark place.

" _What if Jesse is my soulmate?"_ Chloe thought. _"Will that stop the attraction I feel toward Beca?"_

_**~~ DAY 1 - SOULMATES ~~** _

Beca was making an effort to get to know her dad. Dealing with the idea of finding her soulmate, and being attracted to someone who may or may not be her soulmate, has made her better understand what her parents had to go through. And why her dad did what he did.

"Any luck on figuring out who your soulmate is?" Ben asked.

"Well, I've narrowed it down to two," Beca said. "And, I discovered that the guy Jesse I told you about and I could be possible soulmates of the same two girls."

"Did you feel a connection with either of them?" Ben asked.

"I did," Beca said. "But I don't want to say or do anything about it until I know for sure which one is my soulmate."

"I can relate," Ben said. He thought for a moment and then placed his hand over Beca's. "I want you to know that I will always love your mother. We may not have been soulmates, but we had you and you were born out of our love for each other. We both love you so much."

Beca smiled as a tear came to her eye.

"I also want to apologize for not being there for you when your mom died," Ben said, his eyes glassy with tears. "When I heard the news I felt like a part of my soul had died, too. I didn't take it well."

"I get it, dad. My five-year-old self hated you when you walked away from us. But, I'm older now and I'm beginning to understand that it was destined to be that way. The so-called _powers that be_ would never have allowed you to not be with your soulmate," Beca said and smiled. "And, I love you, too."

Ben smiled and patted Beca's hand. "Good," Ben said and sniffled. "I can't wait to meet your soulmate. I hope she's worthy of you."

"More like, I hope I'm worthy of her," Beca said.

"You'll both be worthy of the other," Ben said. "As much as the soulmate process has its flaws, they seem to know what they are doing. Sheila and I are very happy together. She has accepted that I will always love you and your mother and that I love her, too."

"I'm glad you have each other," Beca said with a genuine smile. "You deserve to be happy."

"So do you, Beca," Ben said.

_**~~ DAY 1 - SOULMATES ~~** _

Beca went about her days waiting for the auditions. One day she left her dorm and made her way to her favorite diner for breakfast. It was mid-morning so they weren't crowded. Beca was surprised to see Chloe sitting at a table alone with her laptop sitting in front of her. She noticed Chloe had a couple of empty coffee cups sitting on the table around her. Once Beca ordered she asked for two cups of coffee and made her way over to Chloe's table with her tray.

"Hey," Beca said, causing Chloe to look up.

"Oh, hey, Beca," Chloe said with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"Late breakfast," Beca said. "I also got you another cup of coffee. I figured you were either studying or working on a paper and might need it."

"Oh, my gosh, thank you," Chloe said, taking the coffee off the tray. "Would you like to join me? I could use a break."

"Um, sure," Beca said and sat down with her tray.

They made small talk while Beca ate. Beca kept trying to sneak a peek at Chloe's wrist but she was wearing a long-sleeved sweatshirt that covered down to her hands.

Beca finished and stood to leave, but Chloe stopped her.

"Um, can we talk?" Chloe asked.

"Sure," Beca said and sat back down. "What's up?"

Not knowing that Beca knew it was possible they were soulmates, Chloe asked Beca what she thought of people who got together even without them being soulmates.

Beca scoffed, but before she could answer, Aubrey came rushing in and started complaining to Chloe about the Bellas rehearsal space or something.

"I'll talk to you later, Chloe," Beca said and hurried away from the table.

_**~~ DAY 1 - SOULMATES ~~** _

The day of auditions had finally arrived. Jesse was buzzing around the radio station like a kid who stayed up late on Halloween night and woke up with empty candy wrappers strewn around their room.

Beca, on the other hand, was trying to keep her breakfast from making a second showing. She compared her situation to her dad's, but then realized her parents fell in love before her dad even knew who his soulmate was. How do you go on if the person you already have deep feelings for is not your soulmate?

The two soulmate-less friends hurried through their shift and then made their way to the Auditorium. Just as they were about to walk in, Jesse grabbed Beca's arm.

"What if my soulmate is Chloe?" Jesse asked, suddenly looking a bit pale. "I really like Aubrey. A lot. What do I do if she's not my soulmate?"

"I don't know, dude," Beca said."I'm in the same boat."

"You want Aubrey to be your soulmate, too?" Jesse asked, incredulously. "I thought you weren't going to pick one and wait to see who your soulmate really is."

"I am," Beca said quickly. "I meant that I really like Chloe. I've only talked to her twice, but there is something about her. It's like we had a connection or something, and I already have strong feelings for her."

Jesse took a deep breath and let it out. "I get it. I find myself thinking about Aubrey all the time. This could be a disaster."

"Yeah," Beca said. "I guess there's only one way to find out. Let's do this."

Jesse and Beca walked into the Auditorium together. They signed in on the clipboard provided and were walking to find seats to wait their turn to audition.

"Beca!" a voice called out, causing Beca to look for who was calling her. She smiled when she saw Chloe walking toward her.

"Hey, Chloe," Beca said.

Jesse walked up and stood next to Beca. "Hi, Chloe."

"Oh, hey, Jesse," Chloe said. "I'm glad you're both here. Um, Aubrey and I would like to talk to you two. Can you stick around after auditions."

"Um, yeah, sure," Beca said, looking at a nodding Jesse. "We'll talk to you then."

"Great," Chloe said and skipped over to Aubrey, who looked at Beca and Jesse with a small smile.

"Is she smiling at me or you?" Jesse asked.

"I don't know," Beca mumbled.

"If Aubrey's your true soulmate," Jesse said with a grin. "I wouldn't mind swapping with you."

"I wish it were that simple," Beca said with a heavy sigh. "Let's find a seat."

_**~~ DAY 1 - SOULMATES ~~** _

Auditions went off without a hitch. Both Beca and Jesse were sure the other made it onto the teams they wanted to be on.

Chloe and Aubrey sat conferring over the auditions while the Auditorium emptied. They finished and were putting their papers in a file. Chloe looked over at the two and waved them over.

"I guess this is it," Beca mumbled.

Beca and Jesse walked over to Aubrey and Chloe. Aubrey indicated two seats next to them and waited for them to sit down.

"Hi," Beca said, smiling shyly at Chloe.

"Hi," Chloe said.

Aubrey cleared her throat, causing the two to jump and stare over at her.

"Thank you for staying," Aubrey said. "We aren't sure if you're aware, but we believe that one of you is my soulmate."

"And one of you is mine," Chloe added.

"We are aware," Jesse said. "We figured it out once we realized we had met our soulmates."

Beca looked down at her wrist and played with the wrist band hiding her soulmate mark.

"How do you want to do the big reveal?" Jesse asked with a boyish grin.

"Only one of us needs to reveal their tattoos," Beca pointed out. "After that, we'll know who we've been matched with."

"I can't wait any longer," Chloe said and quickly shoved her shirt sleeve up and showed her right wrist.

Beca and Jesse both looked at Chloe's wrist. Jesse looked at Beca and saw tears in her eyes. Chloe saw them, too, and tears formed in her eyes as she stared at Beca.

"Oh," Chloe said, sounding disappointed as she lowered her arm. "I thought that you and I, um. I guess not." A tear ran down her cheek.

Chloe looked at Aubrey and said, "I'm sorry, Brey."

"Why?" Jesse asked. "I'm a good guy. I promise I'll make her happy."

"What?" Aubrey said, brow furrowed in confusion. "You're _my_ soulmate?"

"Yep," Jesse said and showed his wrist. Aubrey turned hers toward him and they both smiled at each other.

"What?" Chloe said. "Jesse's not my soulmate?"

"I'm, um, I'm your soulmate," Beca said, barely speaking above a whisper.

"Oh!" Chloe said excitedly. "You are?"

"Yeah," Beca said and tore off her wrist band.

Chloe squealed and grabbed Beca in a hug.

"I'm sorry for the tears," Beca said. "I really wanted, um, I really wanted you to be my soulmate and I was overwhelmed with emotion when I saw that your tattoo matched mine."

Chloe pulled back and looked at Beca. "Can I kiss you? I've really been wanting to since that first day we met."

Beca didn't answer, she just leaned in and crashed her lips against Chloe's. Chloe pulled her closer and the kiss continued.

Jesse kissed a smiling Aubrey. He then took Aubrey's hand and kissed the back of it. He held onto Aubrey's hand as he led her out of the Auditorium. They stopped at the door and looked back to see Beca and Chloe holding each other close as they continued to kiss.


	2. COWORKERS

Dr. Beca Mitchell was standing at the reception desk of her father's veterinary clinic completing a patient's chart when a young woman came rushing in. There were tears running down her face and she was carrying a small bundle wrapped in a blood-soaked towel.

"Can someone help me please?" the young woman cried out.

"Do you have an appointment?" Bumper, the receptionist, asked.

"Sit down and shut up, Bumper," Beca told the man. "I got this."

Beca had only been there a week and knew that Bumper was a bully who hated walk-ins. Beca walked over to the young woman and stood in front of her.

"May I take a look?" Beca asked gently.

The young girl looked down and watched as Beca slowly removed part of the towel. Beca heard a whine and furrowed her brow as she checked the little bundle.

"Come with me," Beca told the young woman.

"But, Dr. Mitchell-" Bumper began.

"My name's on the building, Bumper," Beca said. "I can do whatever I want."

Bumper glared at the young girl as he huffed and sat back down in his chair. The girl stood frozen as tears ran down her cheeks.

"It's okay," Beca said. "I'm Dr. Mitchell and I'm a vet here. I promise to take good care of your injured pet."

"Billie," the young woman said. "Her name is Billie and she belongs to my friend Chloe. She's a vet, too."

"She's talking about Dr. Beale," Bumper said. "She's on vacation."

"I see," Beca said. "I will take excellent care of Billie, but we need to get her back to the exam room so I can figure out how to help her. Okay?"

The young woman nodded and Beca led her back to an examination room. Once they entered, she grabbed some gloves and asked the girl to put the dog on the table.

"What's your name?" Beca asked.

"Emily."

"Okay, Emily, can you tell me what happened?" Beca asked as she started to remove the towel.

The dog whimpered and whined a bit, causing Emily to whimper as well. She cleared her throat.

"I was taking Billie for a walk at the park nearby," Emily said. "A bee was flying around me and I'm highly allergic. I was swatting at it to keep it away and I let go of Billie's leash. She ran off and a car hit her."

Beca started examining the dog. She left and opened the door, calling out for one of the nurses.

"Yes, Dr. Mitchell," Jessica said as she stood in the doorway.

"Can you bring in the portable x-ray?" Beca asked. "I need pictures of Billie's back legs. I'll also need you to set up an OR. She has a deep gash on her left back leg and I want to be able to check for further damage without causing the poor thing any more pain than necessary."

"Yes, doctor," Jessica said and left to retrieve the portable x-ray. "I'll be right back with the x-ray machine."

Emily wiped at the tears that ran down her face. "The driver didn't even stop. Who does that? Hit a poor animal and then just drive away." Emily shook her head and looked down at Billie. "I can't tell Chloe I let her dog get hurt and that she needs surgery. Billie is everything to her."

"Do you want me to call her?" Beca asked, as she gently stroked the dog's head. "I'll talk to her for you."

"Chloe texted and said she'd meet me here to pick up Billie," Emily said and looked at the clock. "She should be here any minute."

"Why don't you wait in the waiting room for her?" Beca said. "I'll get Billie ready for surgery and come check on you before we start. Okay?"

Jessica wheeled the portable x-ray in and Emily left to wait for Chloe.

About fifteen minutes later, Emily jumped up when she heard the door open and saw Chloe walking in.

"Emily!" Chloe cried out with a smile on her face. She ran over to hug the younger girl. "Where's Billie? I've missed her so much."

"She's in surgery," Bumper called out from behind the desk.

"What?" Chloe asked, looking around confused.

"Um, she's, uh," Emily stuttered.

"Excuse me," Beca said as she came from the back. "Are you Chloe? Dr. Beale?"

"Yes, I'm Chloe," Chloe said. "Who are you?"

"Dr. Beca Mitchell," Beca said. "Would you mind coming with me, please?"

"What's going on?" Chloe asked.

"I need to talk to you about Billie's case," Beca said.

"Billie's case?" Chloe asked, looking confused. "What happened?"

"Sh-she," Emily mumbled.

"It's okay, Emily," Beca said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I got this."

Beca turned toward Chloe. "I'm sorry, but Billie was hit by a car just a little while ago. Emily brought her in immediately and I've examined her and will be taking care of her."

Chloe stood there as tears started streaming down her face. "Ho-how is she?"

"She has a broken back leg," Beca said. "And a deep gash on the same leg. She's being prepped for surgery because the gash is deep and I want to be able to do a more thorough examination without putting any further pain or stress on her. I'll clean the wound and stitch it up, and also put a cast on her leg while she's under. Okay?"

"Oh, my God," Chloe said and sat down.

"I know this is tough," Beca said gently. "But, she'll be fine. I promise."

"Thank you," Chloe said.

"If you'd like, you can wait in my office where you'll have more privacy," Beca said. "I'll come and find you when I'm done."

"That's okay," Chloe said. "I'll wait out here with Emily."

"Okay," Beca said and squeezed Chloe's hand.

Beca left Chloe and Emily in the waiting room and hurried back to the OR.

"Is she under?"

"Yes, doctor," Jessica said.

Beca cleaned and examined the gash on Billie's leg. She was relieved to find that the gash didn't cut through a nerve or cause any more serious internal damage. She cleaned it thoroughly and stitched up the cut. She then proceeded to put Billie's leg in a half-cast to keep the cut visible so it could be watched for signs of an infection.

Beca let out a breath when she was done. "Take Billie to the recovery area and keep an eye on her," Beca instructed Jessica. "Let me know when she starts to wake up."

"Will do, doctor," Jessica said proceeded to move Billie.

Beca took off her surgical mask and cap and headed to the waiting room. Emily and Chloe both jumped up when she walked out the door.

"How is she?" Chloe asked.

"She's fine," Beca said. "I checked the gash and there are no serious injuries caused by the cut. I've cleaned it well and put in twelve stitches. It goes without saying we'll have to keep an eye on it for infection. Her leg is broken so I've also put a cast on it. The cast covers part of the gash and, I can't reiterate this enough, it will need to be watched as there's always a possibility of infection. She's in recovery and Jessica will let me know when she is waking up. Do you have any questions?"

"No," Chloe said and pulled Beca into a hug. "Thank you."

"Um, you're welcome," Beca said and pulled out of the hug. "Would you like to wait with her?"

"Yes, please," Chloe said.

"She's in recovery room two," Beca said and smiled as Chloe hurried back to the recovery room.

Emily stood there smiling. "Thank you, Dr. Mitchell. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here to take care of Billie."

"It's fine," Beca said. "Do you want to wait with Dr. Beale?"

"Could I?" Emily said, excitedly.

"Certainly," Beca said. "Follow me."

Emily followed Beca to the room where Chloe and Billie were.

"She seems to be stirring a bit," Jessica told Beca as she walked in.

"Could you check her vitals, please?"

"Of course, doctor," Jessica said.

Beca turned to Chloe and Emily. "I'll want to keep her here overnight. If all goes well, you can take Billie home tomorrow afternoon."

"Thank you again, doctor," Chloe said. "I'm sorry we haven't formally met. I'm Dr. Chloe Beale and I work at this clinic as well."

"Dr. Beca Mitchell," Beca said. "And, yes, I'm here because my dad owns the place. But, don't worry, I was first in my class and I do know what I'm doing."

"I for one can vouch that you know what you're doing," Chloe said with a smile. "And I look forward to working with you."

"Same," Beca said.

The two stood staring at each other until Jessica cleared her throat. "Billie's awake, Dr. Mitchell.

"Um, yes, right," Beca said as a blush crept up her cheeks. "How, um, how are her vitals?"

"Everything looks good," Jessica said.

"Excellent," Beca said. She turned to Chloe. "Looks like she'll be going home tomorrow."

Chloe smiled and Beca couldn't help but think how pretty Chloe was.

_**~~ COWORKERS ~~** _

A few days later, Beca asked Chloe if she made a follow-up appointment for Billie.

"I'm a vet, too, Dr. Mitchell," Chloe said with a grin. "I know what to look for."

"I know you do," Beca said, smiling. "But, I like to follow-up with my patients. Would you like to bring her in later this week so I can examine her?"

"Oh," Chloe said, fidgeting a bit. "Um, actually, Aubrey is taking care of her."

"Aubrey? As in Dr. Posen?" Beca asked. "I'm the doctor on record and I'd prefer to see her myself. Is there a problem with the way I have handled her care?"

"No, it's not that," Chloe said not able to look Beca in the eye. "It's just. Aubrey's my best friend and she's always taken care of Billie for me."

Beca gave an exasperated sigh. She had officially met Dr. Posen a week ago and she had taken an immediate dislike to Beca, and Beca had no idea why.

"If that's what you want," Beca said, shrugging her shoulders. "Excuse me, I have patients to see."

"Beca, it's not-" Chloe started, but Beca ignored her and continued walking.

Chloe let out a huff.

_**~~ COWORKERS ~~** _

A few days later, Beca walked into the clinic's break room at lunchtime and went to the counter to fix herself a cup of coffee.

"Doctors," Beca said with a nod toward the two other vets sitting at a table.

"Hey, Beca," Chloe said with a smile.

"Chloe," Beca responded with a smile of her own. "Nice job with the retriever earlier."

"Thank you," Chloe said. She gently nudged Aubrey and whispered, "Brey, be nice and say hello or something."

"Mitchell," Dr. Aubrey Posen said, glaring at the younger woman.

"Posen," Beca said, smirking at Aubrey. "So, how's Billie doing? Any signs of infection? Is she moving around okay with the cast?"

"Billie is doing fine," Aubrey said, tight-lipped.

Beca nodded and continued making her coffee while Chloe and Aubrey both watched; Beca finished and left the break room.

"She is so cute," Chloe gushed.

"How can you like her?" Aubrey said with a grimace. "She thinks she's better than everyone just because her family owns the clinic. And, what's with asking me how Billie is doing? I am quite capable of taking care of Billie; I've been doing it for years."

"I know you can," Chloe said. "That's why I trust Billie with you. You're only upset because you can't find anything wrong with the way Beca handled Billie's treatment. That and she graduated top of her class from vet school, and you didn't."

"She's a grade-A pain in my ass," Aubrey said. "I don't care how smart she thinks she is."

"Well, I think she's hot," Chloe said. "And I might just have to ask her out."

"Are you for real?" Aubrey practically yelled. "She is not right for you, Chloe. Stay away from anything romantic involving her."

"You can't tell me what to do, Brey," Chloe said. "I can date whoever I want."

_**~~ COWORKERS ~~** _

Two days later, Aubrey and Chloe both had the day off. Beca was chatting with Jessica when Emily came running in holding Billie.

"Emily, what's wrong?" Beca asked. "What happened?"

"Billie's sick," Emily said. "I went by Chloe's to take her for a walk and she was whimpering like she was in pain. And, she feels warm. I think she has a fever."

"Jessica, take Billie back to Exam Room 2."

Jessica gently took the dog from Emily and hurried toward the back.

"Emily, have you called Chloe?" Beca asked. "Or Dr. Posen?"

"I couldn't reach either one of them," Emily said. "I know they were going on a hike or something together so I left Chloe a voicemail letting her know I was bringing her here."

"Okay," Beca said. "Come with me."

Beca led Emily back to the exam room and put on some gloves. She walked over to the table where Billie was laying and said, "Let's take a look."

Beca gently ran her hands over Billie and stopped when she saw her back leg. "This looks infected."

Jessica gently stroked Billie's head while Beca checked the wound. "This is definitely infected. I'll have to put her under so I can open it back up and clean it properly. Jess, please get an operating room ready for me."

Jessica hurried out of the exam room. Beca turned to Emily. "Emily, can you try and reach Chloe again? Let her know what's going on."

"Of course," Emily said and pulled out her phone. She walked toward the waiting room as she made the call.

Ten minutes later, Beca scrubbed in and entered the operating room. She made sure Billie was asleep before she removed the cast and started poking around the infected area. She had to reopen the incision to clean the infected area. She took a scalpel and followed the line of the original incision and asked for some gauze.

Jessica had just handed her the gauze when the door flew open and Aubrey Posen stalked in, causing Beca to look over at her.

"Get the fuck out of my OR," Beca said, returning to the task at hand.

"That's my patient," Aubrey said.

"Not today she isn't," Beca said and continued working. "Now get out."

"You can't order me out of the OR," Aubrey said.

"Hold this on here," Beca told Jessica and turned to face Aubrey. "Get out, Dr. Posen. Don't make me tell you again."

Aubrey stood there with her arms across her chest, glaring at Beca.

"Brey," Chloe called from the doorway, holding a mask to her face. "Let's go. Let Beca do what she needs to."

Aubrey let out a small sigh and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Dr. Posen," Beca said, causing the blonde to turn and look at her. "You ever come into my OR again without scrubbing in or wearing a mask, and endangering my patient, I promise you, I will have you fired."

Aubrey stood frozen in shock as Beca turned back to Billie.

"Good day, Dr. Posen," Beca said, causing Aubrey to hurry out of the room.

"What the Hell were you thinking, Brey?" Chloe asked as they made their way to the waiting room. "You better hope Beca doesn't make good on her promise."

"Billie's my patient," was Aubrey could say.

"Like Beca said," Chloe said. "Not today she isn't."

Aubrey just looked at Chloe and then crossed her arms and stared straight ahead.

"Is everything okay?" Emily asked.

"Billie's in good hands," Chloe said, taking the younger girls hand in hers. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

_**~~ COWORKERS ~~** _

"Chloe," Beca called from the door, causing Chloe, Aubrey, and Emily to jump up and hurry over to Beca.

"How is she?" Chloe asked.

"She's fine," Beca said. "Her cut was infected. I had to reopen the wound to clean out some of the infection that had gotten under her skin. She's on an antibiotic IV at the moment and Jessica will give you a prescription to get filled before you get her home. I also had to replace her cast, but she should only need it for another one, possibly two weeks. She's awake, but still slightly sedated so she doesn't move around too much."

"Thank you, Beca," Chloe said and wiped at a tear. "Can we see her?"

"Yes," Beca said. "And I would like to see you and Dr. Posen in my office in fifteen minutes."

"Um, okay," Chloe said looking at Aubrey.

Aubrey stood with her teeth and fists clenched but said nothing.

Beca stepped aside and let the girls pass and head to see Billie. Beca let out a sigh and went to her office to wait for Chloe and Aubrey.

Beca did some paperwork on Billie's case while she waited. There was a knock on her door and Beca called out, "Come in."

Chloe entered first, followed by Aubrey. Beca stood and motioned to the two chairs across from her desk.

"Please have a seat," Beca said.

Chloe and Aubrey sat down and looked at Beca. Chloe cleared her throat.

"Is everything okay with Billie?" Chloe asked hesitantly.

"Billie's fine," Beca said. "She'll make a full recovery as long as you make sure she takes the antibiotics as prescribed."

"Thank God," Chloe whispered. "Um, so why are we here?"

"Dr. Posen," Beca said, looking at the woman. "How long have you been a vet?"

Aubrey furrowed her brows and looked at Beca and then at Chloe. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Answer the question, please," Beca said.

"Three years," Aubrey said.

"Three years," Beca repeated. "So, can I assume you are aware that if a wound is red and feels warm to the touch that the possibility of there being an infection is quite high?"

"Yes," Aubrey said.

"Billie's wound _was_ infected," Beca said. "You are her primary doctor. How did you not notice the infection?"

"I did," Aubrey said. "I mean, I noticed a little redness but didn't think there was anything to be concerned about."

"I see," Beca said and opened a file. "Based on how the infection had spread under the skin near her wound, she has had the infection for almost a week. Have you not been doing follow-ups from her recent injury?"

"I already told you that I didn't think there was anything to be concerned about," Aubrey snapped. "Besides, you're the one who cleaned her wound. Looks like you didn't do a proper job of it."

"We all know there are a number of reasons for a wound to become infected. And we both know that every wound needs to be watched closely to ensure that any infection is caught early," Beca snapped back. "Despite me wanting to continue Billie's care, Chloe opted to turn her care back over to your as her primary. And you failed her and Billie."

Beca ran a hand through her hair and looked at Chloe. Chloe looked upset, and Beca turned to again direct her words at Aubrey.

"Dr. Posen," Beca said. "I am taking you off as Billie's primary doctor. I am also putting you on probation and will be overseeing any and all of your other patients for the next month."

"You can't do that!" Aubrey yelled as she jumped up and glared at Beca.

"It's either that or you're fired," Beca said. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Look, Aubrey. I understand that Chloe's your best friend and you've known Billie for a long time. But there is a reason we don't think doctors should work on their own pets. Or the pets of close friends."

"Brey," Chloe finally spoke up. "Beca's right. As much as I don't want to admit it, if Emily hadn't brought her here when she did, it might have been too late. And, if it were any other animal, you would have been fired and not given a second chance."

Aubrey flopped down in her chair, looking defeated. "I'm so sorry, Chlo. I really didn't think there was anything to worry about."

"Because you didn't want there to be," Beca said. "I get it, Aubrey. I do. You're a damned good vet and that's why I'm putting you on probation instead of firing you."

"Okay," Aubrey said. "Thank you, Dr. Mitchell."

"You're welcome, Dr. Posen," Beca said.

Chloe squeezed Aubrey's hand and gave her a smile. She turned to see Beca staring at her.

"Um, Aubrey, could you give Chloe and me a minute?"

Aubrey looked at Chloe and Chloe said, "It's okay. Go check on Billie for me. As a friend, not as her doctor."

Beca chuckled and smiled.

"Okay," Aubrey said.

Beca and Chloe both watched as Aubrey left the room. Chloe turned to face Beca.

"I wanted to check with you to make sure you were okay with me assigning Dr. Swanson or Dr. Davis to take over Billie's care from here on."

"Oh," Chloe said. "Why can't you do it?"

"I would, but I was hoping that maybe, um," Beca stuttered and stumbled over her words. "That maybe you'd like to go out to dinner with me sometime?"

"Oh, I see," Chloe said, trying to hide her smile. "If I agree to go out with you it wouldn't be wise for you to be Billie's doctor."

"Um, right," Beca said.

Chloe smiled and said, "I'd love to go out with you."

"Really?" Beca squeaked out and quickly cleared throat. "I mean, that's great. Um, let me know a night that's good for you and I'll make a dinner reservation. Is there any place in particular you like? Or don't like?"

"I'm free tonight if you are," Chloe said and stood up. "I like most anything, so surprise me."

Beca stood and said, "I'll pick you up at seven and be prepared to be surprised."

"I'll see you later," Chloe said and skipped out of Beca's office.

_**~~ COWORKERS ~~** _

"Do you think dating Beca is a good idea?" Aubrey asked as she watched Chloe get ready for her date.

"Yes, I do," Chloe said, turning to look at Aubrey. "She's smart, funny, gorgeous; why wouldn't it be a good idea?"

"Her father owns the clinic where you work, so she's basically your boss," Aubrey said. "Dating a coworker is not a good idea, and dating your boss is an even worse idea. What happens if it doesn't work out?"

"Then it doesn't work out," Chloe said and turned back to finish her makeup. "Dating someone is how you figure out if there's something there."

"I still don't think it's-"

Chloe's phone started to ring, interrupting whatever Aubrey was going to say.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Chloe," Beca said. "Um, I'm almost to your building and I need your apartment number."

"Oh, I'm in apartment 327," Chloe said.

"Okay, I'll be there shortly," Beca said.

"Can't wait," Chloe said excitedly and ended the call. She turned to Aubrey. "Beca will be here soon. Don't embarrass me or say anything to upset Beca."

"Fine," Aubrey said. "I'll be nice."

"Thank you," Chloe said and finished getting ready.

A few minutes later there was a knock on Chloe's door. Billie went running, well more like hopping on three legs, to the door, barking.

"Billie, hush," Chloe said as she grabbed Billie up before opening the door to find Beca standing there. "Hey."

"Hi," Beca said and smiled. "And, hello to you, too, Billie."

"Good evening, Beca," Aubrey called from behind Chloe.

"Oh, um, hi, Aubrey," Beca said with a small wave. She looked back to Chloe. "Are you ready?"

"Yep," Chloe said. "Let me just give Billie to Aubrey."

Beca smiled and waited for Chloe. Chloe came out of the door and Beca took her hand and led her to the elevator.

"You look really nice," Beca said as they stood side-by-side in the elevator.

"Thanks," Chloe said with a big smile. "So do you."

_**~~ COWORKERS ~~** _

"So, Aubrey thinks coworkers dating is a bad idea?" Beca asked.

"Yes," Chloe said. "Which is kind of sad because she really likes Dr. Swanson."

"Jesse?" Beca asked. "He's a good guy. And a good vet. I like him. Although, don't tell her that. She'll just project her dislike for me onto him and he doesn't deserve that."

"She doesn't dislike you," Chloe said. "She respects you. A lot. She told me that you should have fired her for what happened with Billie and storming into the OR. She respected you for looking at it objectively and giving her a second chance."

"She's a good vet," Beca admitted. "I didn't see any reason to fire her. If it had been anyone's dog but yours, I don't think she would have missed the infection. Once I'm running the clinic, I'll make sure that no one works on their own pet or their friends or families pets either. It never ends well."

"I think that's a good-" Chloe stopped and looked at Beca. "Did you say when you're running the clinic? Are you going to partner with your dad to run the clinic?"

"Shit," Beca mumbled before turning to Chloe. "I wasn't supposed to say anything until the meeting next week."

"What's going on, Beca?" Chloe asked.

"My dad is retiring," Beca said. "Not because he wants to, but because Sheila wants to move back to New Orleans."

"He's leaving the clinic for you to run?"

"No, I'm buying it from him."

"You're buying it?"

"Well, my best friend and I are buying it together," Beca said. "We're going to rename it the 'Mitchell-Conrad Veterinary Hospital and Clinic.' We have a lot of great plans to expand. I, um, hope you'll stay on once we take over. I like having you around."

"Of course, I'll stay," Chloe said. "I like being around you."

Beca blushed and asked, "Would you want dessert?"

"I've got a better idea," Chloe said. "I've got like five different kinds of Ben and Jerry's at my place. We can have dessert there."

"Before I say yes," Beca said. "Do you have _Chunky Monkey_ or _Americone Dream_?"

"Both, actually," Chloe said with a laugh.

"Then I'm all in," Beca said.

_**~~ COWORKERS ~~** _

Beca and Chloe were laughing as they stepped off the elevator on Chloe's floor. They held hands as they made their way to Chloe's apartment. Chloe reached to put the key in the lock so they could enter when Beca stopped her.

"I'm guessing Aubrey is still in there," Beca said. "And there's something I'd like to say before we go in."

"What is it?" Chloe asked.

"This," Beca said and leaned in to kiss Chloe.

Chloe put her arm around Beca's neck and pulled her closer to deepen the kiss. After a few moments, they broke apart.

"Wow," Chloe said. "You sure have a way with words."

"I hope you'll let me say those words to you again," Beca said with a grin.

"I'm a firm believer that actions speak louder than words," Chloe said and pulled Beca into another kiss.

They were still kissing when the apartment door opened, showing Aubrey holding Billie and staring at them.

"Oh, God," Aubrey said, causing them to break apart. "Why do I get the feeling I'm going to see a lot of naked Beca in the future?"

Chloe pulled back from Beca, who stood dazed and staring at Chloe.

"Because you most definitely will," Chloe said as she took Beca by the hand and brushed past Aubrey.

"I'm going home," Aubrey shouted after the couple as Chloe made a beeline for her bedroom.

"Probably for the best," Chloe shouted back.

"Yeah," Beca said, finally able to speak. "What she said!"


	3. 20 QUESTIONS

Chloe Beale checked her phone once more and tossed it back down on the table. She let out a sigh and ran her hand through her hair. Her blind date was late and Chloe was beginning to wonder why she even agreed to this blind date in the first place. She's an Emmy-winning actress who will soon be starring in her first major motion picture; people love her. And, she could get her own dates.

Chloe sighed again because that last part wasn't quite true. She dated but was always hounded by the paparazzi and people tend to get turned off at having their privacy invaded and being photographed all the time. Some got an ego boost from it, but that didn't last long. She did try dating one of her co-stars but he was a dud. He only went out with her because he was a second-rate actor and thought that being with her would get him the attention he was seeking. He got mad whenever they were photographed together, because his name was never mentioned, or he was referred to as "Chloe Beale's date for the evening," or "Chloe Beale's escort."

Chloe checked the time again and was beginning to regret letting Stacie talk her into this. If Stacie hadn't been dating her best friend, she would have just said no and been done with it. She really should have asked for more details about this woman from Stacie.

Chloe sighed again and put her hand on her chin as she looked around the restaurant. It was a fairly nice place and she saw a few other people from the entertainment industry. If she saw someone she knew, she would smile and nod.

She picked this place because they prided itself on giving all their patrons privacy to enjoy a nice dinner without being hounded by paparazzi or overzealous fans.

" _Oh, God_ ," Chloe thought. " _What if they start fangirling over someone? That would be so embarrassing. This was probably not the best place to bring someone you don't even know on a first date_."

Chloe reached for her wine glass and took a sip. She nearly choked on it when she saw a hostess leading Beca Mitchell to a table. Beca Mitchell was Chloe's girl crush, well, major everything crush. She was a Grammy-winning singer/songwriter, as well as an award-winning music producer; and she is gorgeous.

Chloe tried not to stare but couldn't help it. Beca caught her eye and gave her a quick smile. Chloe quickly wiped her mouth with a napkin and looked down at her table, only to jerk her head up when she realized the hostess had stopped at her table, and Beca Mitchell was standing there looking at her.

"Hi, I'm Beca," Beca said when Chloe looked up at her. "Stacie's friend. I'm sorry I'm late, but I got held up at the studio. I hope you haven't been waiting long."

"Um, yeah, h-h-hi," Chloe stammered, causing Beca to smile. "Um, no, just, um. It's, uh. Studio?"

Beca turned to the hostess and thanked her. The hostess left and Beca sat across from Chloe.

"Stacie didn't tell you who I was," Beca said. "That's my fault. She's always trying to set me up, and the few times I agreed, the other person turned out to be a fan and I ended up with a few stalkers. So, now if Stacie has someone I just "have to meet," I ask her not to tell them who I am. Their initial reaction at seeing me lets me know if I should end the date quickly or not."

Chloe sat there nodding her head. She couldn't find her voice to say anything.

_**~~ 20 QUESTIONS ~~** _

"How do you think the date is going?" Aubrey asked.

"I don't know," Stacie responded. "It was scheduled to start just ten minutes ago. Can't really tell much in ten minutes."

"I could," Aubrey said. "Ten minutes after meeting you, I knew we were going to be together."

"How could you know that?" Stacie asked with a laugh. "We were both on dates with different people when we met."

"I just knew," Aubrey said, shrugging her shoulders. "Ask Chloe. I told her about you later that night and said how I was going to find a way to see you again."

"Wow," Stacie was the only thing could think to say. "Well, that explains the proposal after being together for six months."

"As I said," Aubrey said. "I knew we were going to be together. And by that, I meant forever."

Stacie kissed Aubrey, and said, "I have a feeling it's going to be the same with Beca and Chloe. I know Chloe's a big fan, and once she gets over the initial shock of her blind date being Beca, I think they'll complement each other."

"It will be nice to have Chloe be with someone who's already made a name for themselves in the entertainment industry," Aubrey said. "They'll both know what to expect if they start dating."

"Not if," Stacie said. " _When_ they start dating. I'm sure they're perfect for each other."

"We'll see," Aubrey said.

_**~~ 20 QUESTIONS ~~** _

"So, um, have you been here before?" Beca asked, grimacing at how lame that sounded.

Chloe nodded her head and stared at Beca.

"Great," Beca said as she looked over the menu. "You can tell me what's good here."

"Um, sure?" Chloe said; more like asked.

"Are you okay?" Beca asked, gaining another nod from Chloe.

"Nervous," Chloe mumbled.

"You don't have to be," Beca said. "I'm just a regular person like you."

Chloe swallowed and said, "You a regular person? Not likely." Chloe grimaced and bit her lip; she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Very likely," Beca said with a smile. "How about this. Let's play twenty questions. I'll ask you the first question to get things started. It will help ease your nervousness and we'll get to know each other. How does that sound?"

"Okay," Chloe managed to squeak out this time.

A waitress came by the table and asked Beca if she wanted something to drink.

"I'll have whatever she's drinking," Beca said. "Oh, and can we get the veggies and hummus appetizer to start?"

"Certainly," the waitress said. "I'll get your wine and be back to take your orders."

"Thank you," Beca said with a smile.

The waitress left, and Beca turned to look at Chloe and smiled.

_**~~ 20 QUESTIONS ~~** _

"I still can't get over you knowing Beca Mitchell," Aubrey said as she cuddled into Stacie's side.

"We've been friends for years," Stacie said. "She's the one who got me into modeling. She hired me as an extra in one of her first videos. An agent saw me and here I am."

"How is it I didn't know about this friendship until now?" Aubrey asked.

"Beca's a very private person," Stacie said. "She's also a very busy person. In the past six months, I've barely seen her. I'm surprised I was able to nail her down for this date with Chloe. I've also been a bit selfish. She used to hang out with me and my friends, and she's met some of my dates. She always felt uncomfortable around them all because they tended to ignore me when she was around."

"But you're a supermodel," Aubrey said. "How could they ignore you?"

"You'll see when you finally meet Beca," Stacie said. "People are really drawn to her because she's got a way about her. She doesn't put on airs and she's the nicest person I know. Well, after Chloe."

Aubrey chuckled. "Chloe has had a major crush on Beca since the first time she heard her sing. I hope she doesn't go all fangirl on her. Chloe would die if she did something to embarrass herself in front of _THE_ Beca Mitchell."

"Beca will think it's cute," Stacie said. "I should have thought to get them together sooner."

"Chloe's schedule doesn't allow much time for dating," Aubrey said.

"Neither does Beca's," Stacie said. "But, I'm glad we were able to find time for them to at least meet. They are our best friends and will be part of the wedding."

"Have you asked Beca about being your Maid of Honor?"

"Not yet," Stacie said. "We've only been engaged for a week. Plus, I haven't told her we're engaged yet because she's been so busy. We're having lunch next week. I can tell her and ask her then."

"Chloe is ecstatic," Aubrey said. "She's asked me twice now who your Maid of Honor was going to be so they can start planning."

"I'm glad you didn't tell her," Stacie said. "I didn't want her to freak out before I tell Beca about our engagement."

_**~~ 20 QUESTIONS ~~** _

"So, twenty questions?" Beca asked with a raised brow.

Chloe nodded and smiled. "Okay."

"Let's make some rules," Beca said. "The first rule, I will ask a question, then you will ask a question. It can be the same question if you like, but each question will be counted as its own question. The second rule, nothing super personal. It is only our first date. Other than those two rules, I think we're good. Do you accept these rules as I have described them?'

"Yes," Chloe said and sipped her wine.

"Okay, first question," Beca said. "Where were you born?"

"Tampa, Florida," Chloe squeaked out. " Um, you?"

"Wait," Beca said and grabbed a notepad and pen from her purse. "I want to keep track of our questions."

Chloe giggled slightly at how adorable Beca was being. She was starting to feel less nervous. This twenty questions thing might not be such a bad idea.

"Okay, so this was question number one and two," Beca said and made two quick checkmarks on the notepad. "And, I was born in Portland, Maine."

"I don't know why I asked that," Chloe admitted. "I'm, um, I'm a big fan and feel like I, uh, already know a lot about you."

"But you don't know the real me," Beca said. "You only know the superficial stuff."

"Oh," Chloe said and took a sip of wine. "Maybe we should go to the next question.

"Okay," Beca said. "How old were you when you decided you wanted to be an actress?"

Beca made another quick checkmark on the notepad as she waited for Chloe to answer.

"Shouldn't we look at the menu to decide what we want to order before we continue?" Chloe asked, finally finding her voice.

Beca made a quick check on the notepad.

"Hey, that wasn't part of the twenty questions," Chloe said, swatting at Beca's hand.

"We didn't set any ground rules on what constitutes a legitimate question," Beca said with a laugh. "And since it was my idea, I get to say whether it was a question or not, and I'm saying it was. Plus, I don't know if I can come up with enough interesting questions to make it to twenty."

"I guess I'll have to be more careful," Chloe said, narrowing her eyes at Beca. "And from here on I'll only ask questions to find out more about you."

"That's the idea," Beca said with a laugh as the waitress placed a glass of wine and the hummus plate on the table.

"Are you ready to order?" the waitress asked.

Beca and Chloe gave their orders and the waitress thanked them and walked away.

"So, are you going to answer my question?" Beca asked.

Chloe smiled at her and reached across the table. She picked up the pen and made a checkmark on the notepad and dropped the pen back down.

Beca laughed. "Touché."

"To answer your question," Chloe said, laughing as she picked up a carrot and dipped it into the hummus. "I got the acting bug in High School. I needed an elective and had a choice between drama and woodshop. I took drama and was hooked."

Chloe bit into the carrot and looked at Beca. "Same question," she said, holding her hand in front of her mouth so Beca didn't see her chewing her food.

"I've never wanted to be an actress," Beca said with a cheeky grin. "But, I knew I wanted to do something in music. When I was ten, I got my first mixing program. That same year, I was asked to sing the _National Anthem_ at a local baseball game and music became my life."

"Well, I for one think you made the right career choice," Chloe said.

"Thanks," Beca said. "I have to admit that I kind of googled your name once Stacie showed me your picture. I wasn't looking forward to this date, but once I saw your red hair, I couldn't resist. Being an actress suits you. I mean, you're gorgeous in your photos, but they don't do justice to the real-life version of you." Beca grabbed her wine and took a big drink. "I'm going to shut up now so you can ask the next question."

_**~~ 20 QUESTIONS ~~** _

"I hope everything's going okay," Aubrey said.

"Stop worrying," Stacie said. "If anything was wrong one of us would have heard about it by now."

"I know," Aubrey said. "It's just, Chloe was really nervous about going on a blind date. She said if it had been anyone else who set her up, she would have canceled and stayed home tonight."

"Beca was a bit reluctant to go, too," Stacie said. "But I showed her Chloe's picture and she changed her mind. She has a thing for redheads."

"She didn't know who Chloe was by name?" Aubrey asked.

"No," Stacie said with a laugh. "She hardly ever watches TV and hates movies. Plus, she doesn't read gossip magazines. The only time she pays any attention is when her name pops up with someone else's. And that's just to quash any rumors from getting out of control."

"I guess her name will be popping up a lot if she's seen with Chloe," Aubrey said. "And vice versa."

_**~~ 20 QUESTIONS ~~** _

Chloe wiped her mouth and got a serious look on her face. "Why do you need to be fixed up on a blind date? Wait, I'm sorry. Don't answer that."

"It's okay," Beca said. "The easy answer is that I'm always busy and when I do go out, they get bored hearing me talk about my work."

"But, we only just met and I think you're funny and interesting," Chloe said. "I'd date you in a heartbeat. You're gorgeous."

Chloe blushed when she saw Beca looking at her with a soft smile. "I do get what you're saying, though. I mean I love being an actress and do tend to talk a lot about my job. And, I tend to meet people who only want to be with me because of my fame, but then that fizzles when their privacy is constantly being invaded."

"Same," Beca said. "As a producer, I'm sometimes working sixteen, seventeen hours a day. I'm hardly ever home and sometimes I get so into what I'm doing, I ignore calls and texts. I haven't found anyone who can handle that kind of schedule. Or gave me a reason to go home earlier. And, I think you're interesting and gorgeous, too."

"Thanks," Chloe said and smiled. "Next question goes to you."

"Okay, um," Beca sat thinking for a moment. "You don't have to answer, but are you bi or is this just some sort of experimental thing? I only ask because Stacie has set me up with curious straight girls before."

"It's a fair question," Chloe said. "I'm bi. I don't advertise it, and I won't deny it if asked. I haven't dated many women and I'm never sure if a woman I'm attracted to is gay or bi so I tend not to ask." Chloe laughed and added, "I have the worst gaydar."

Beca laughed, too. "I'm bi, too, and I'm the same with the gaydar. I get hit on by guys and girls but it goes back to why I don't date much. Never sure if it's really me they want or Beca Mitchell, the music producer."

"It's nice to find someone in the entertainment industry who doesn't need me to help further their career," Chloe said, grabbing a celery stick and dipping it into the hummus. "I think we are going to be fast friends."

"Friends?" Beca asked. "I was kind of hoping we'd be something more."

"Oh, totes," Chloe said with a smile. "But, it's nice to start as friends. Build up to something more."

"Does that mean you might want to do this again sometime?" Beca asked.

"That's two questions you've asked and haven't marked down," Chloe said, teasing Beca. "But, yes, I hope that we can do this again sometime. Actually, a lot more times, and soon."

Beca picked up her wine glass and Chloe did the same. "Well, then, here's to fast friends," Beca said and they clinked their glasses in a toast; she also made two new check marks on her list.

Their food came out and Beca asked the waitress for more wine. They both started to eat.

"So, we have ten questions down," Chloe said, taking a sip of her wine. "Ten to go."

"You get next question," Beca said, taking a bite of her food.

"Okay, I'm going to stay away from the heavy stuff," Chloe said. "We'll save those for later."

"I can live with that," Beca said. "Go for it."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"One brother, no sisters. He's older. How about you?"

"One brother, one sister. Well, half-brother and sister. My dad was married before my mom."

"Have you ever been seriously in love?"

Chloe had to sit back and think about this one. "I thought I was when I was in High School. There was this guy, Tom, and we dated for like two years. Went to Senior Prom, lost my virginity to him, all the cliche High School romance things."

"I'd like a timeout to ask a followup question and not have it count toward our twenty questions," Beca said.

"I'll allow it," Chloe said, giggling at how serious Beca sounded.

"What happened?" Beca asked.

"We went to different colleges. We decided to try the long-distance thing but I ended it after about three months when I surprised him with a visit and found him screwing some girl in his room. I was devastated but realized that although I did love him, I wasn't in love with him. I haven't found that someone yet."

"You deserve to find that someone," Beca said.

"Thanks," Chloe said softly. "That brings us down to seven? Or maybe it's eight questions left?"

Beca checked her tally sheet. "Hmm, is that a mark? Maybe not. I'm not sure, so let's just call it at eight more to go."

The waitress interrupted as a busboy came by to clear their plates. "Would you care for dessert?"

Beca looked at Chloe and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, thank you," Chloe said. "I'd like a slice of cheesecake with strawberries on top. Oh, and a cup of coffee."

"Anything for you?" the waitress asked Beca as she wrote down Chloe's order.

"I'll have the triple-layer chocolate cake," Beca said. "And, coffee as well."

"Excellent," the waitress said. "Those will be out shortly."

"Thank you," Chloe said.

Beca looked at Chloe and smiled. "Remind me to thank Stacie. This is honestly the first blind date she's set up for me that didn't make me want to gouge my eyeballs out before it was finally over."

"I feel like there's a compliment in there for me somewhere," Chloe teased.

"There definitely is," Beca said. "I'm really enjoying the evening."

"So, am I," Chloe said with a big smile.

Beca and Chloe stared at each other for a moment. Chloe blushed slightly and looked down as she cleared her throat.

"Okay, so we're down to eight questions and it's my turn," Chloe said. "I'm going to ask the same question. Have you ever been seriously in love?"

"No," Beca answered quickly. "I've felt strong affection for someone, but never really felt like I was in love with them. I may not be sure what real love feels likes, but I know I've never felt it. Not yet anyway."

The waitress returned to their table, and Beca and Chloe sat quietly while their desserts and coffees were placed in front of them.

"May I get you anything else?" the waitress asked.

"We're good, thanks," Beca responded, and the waitress left the table.

"That looks good," Chloe said, eyeing Beca's chocolate cake.

Beca picked up her fork and put some cake on it.

"Here. Try it," Beca said and held her fork out to Chloe.

Chloe smiled and leaned forward to take the bite. "Mmm, that is good. Here try mine."

Chloe took a bit of her cheesecake and held the fork out for Beca. Beca took the bite and wiped her mouth.

"That's pretty good, too," Beca said.

They took a few more bites of their desserts and drank their coffee.

"I believe it's my turn for the next question," Chloe said. "So, what's the worst pick-up line someone used on you?"

Beca barked out a laugh. "Oh, my God. Um, let me think for a minute. The worst pickup line."

Beca and Chloe both took a bite of their desserts. Beca swallowed and a smile came to her face.

"Okay, I can't believe I almost forgot about this one," Beca said. "It was a few years ago before I became well-known, and I was at a bar with Stacie when this guy walked up to me and said, _excuse me but my friend over there is a little embarrassed because he'd like your phone number so he knows how to get ahold of me in the morning._ "

Chloe let out a laugh. "Oh, my God! Did you give it to him?"

"I laughed in his face," Beca said. "At first he laughed, too, but I just kept laughing and started shaking my head. The guy finally walked off embarrassed. I felt bad for him but not enough to apologize to him. I didn't want him to think I was actually interested."

Chloe laughed a bit more. "That leaves five questions to go."

"It's six," Beca said. Seeing Chloe's grin she stopped, and said, "Oh, right. You asked if I gave him my number. Clever, Ms. Beale."

"I try," Chloe said with a grin.

Beca laughed and shook her head. "Okay, since you asked," Beca said. "I'm asking the same question. And that will bring us down to four questions to go."

"Okay," Chloe said and sat back for a moment. "I was at a party and had a guy say to me, _screw me if I'm wrong, but you want to kiss me don't you?_ "

"Seriously?" Beca asked and quickly added, "That one doesn't count."

Chloe laughed. "I just flustered him by saying yes, I do want to kiss you. He looked shocked and said, _Really?_. And I said, yes, kissed him on the cheek, and then walked away. He was too stunned to follow me. He came to his senses a few minutes later and came looking for me. I spent the next hour trying to avoid him. I finally managed to get out of there when my friends snuck me out. It was kind of scary."

"Wow," Beca said, and picked up her cup of coffee. "This has me curious now. For the next question, I'm going to ask what bad pickup line worked on you?"

"I don't know," Chloe said, biting her bottom lip. "Which one are you planning to use on me?"

Beca nearly choked on her coffee. She wiped her mouth with her napkin and looked back at Chloe.

A mischievous smile came over Beca's face as she said, "Let's have breakfast tomorrow. Should I call you or nudge you?"

Chloe giggled and said, "Not bad, but I get to ask the last question."

"You didn't answer mine, yet," Beca said, grinning. "Call or nudge?"

"I'm going to answer your question with a question," Chloe said.

"Hmm, I'm intrigued," Beca said. "Ask away."

"Your place or mine?" Chloe asked.

Beca sucked in a breath and quickly said, "Check, please," as she signaled their waitress.

_**~~ 20 QUESTIONS ~~** _

The next morning, Stacie answered her door to find a delivery guy holding a large bouquet of flowers in one hand and a clipboard in the other.

"Are you Stacie Conrad?" the delivery guy asked.

"Yes, I'm Stacie," Stacie said.

"These are for you," he said, handing the bouquet to Stacie. "Would you sign here please?"

Stacie took the pen the delivery guy held out toward her. She signed the clipboard and handed him the pen. The delivery guy thanked her and left.

Stacie closed the door and Aubrey walked over to her.

"Who are those for?" Aubrey asked. "More importantly, who are those from?"

"They're for me," Stacie said. "And, I haven't read the card yet."

Stacie continued through the house and went into the kitchen; Aubrey followed her. Stacie laid the flowers on the counter and searched the cabinets for a vase. Aubrey found one and handed it to her.

Stacie ran some water into the vase and took it to the counter.

"Would you read the damned card, already?" Aubrey spits out.

"Sorry," Stacie said with a laugh. "And you don't need to be jealous. I'm sure it's nothing."

Stacie took the card out and opened it. She laughed when she read it and handed it to Aubrey. She started placing the flowers in the vase.

" _Thank you! Beca and Chloe_ ," Aubrey read. She chuckled, and added, "I guess the date went well. I'm going to call Chloe."

Aubrey grabbed her phone and pulled up Chloe's name. She made the call but it went unanswered and finally went to voicemail.

"Hey, Chloe, call me back when you get this," Aubrey said and ended the call. She turned to Stacie and said, "It's a little early. They were probably out late and she's still in bed."

"I'll call Beca," Stacie said. "She's probably still in bed, too, but she always answers her phone no matter what time it is."

Stacie placed the call and it rang a few times before the call was answered. She could hear what sounded like heavy breathing, but before Stacie could say anything, Beca said, "I'll have to call you back," and then the sound of the phone hitting something.

Stacie could tell the call was still active when she heard what she thought was a rustling sound.

"Beca?" Stacie said into the receiver.

Stacie's eyebrows raised to her hairline when all she could hear in response was Chloe shouting "Oh, God!" and then moaning and more heavy breathing.

"We're both right," Stacie said with a laugh as she ended the call. "They're **_both_** still in bed."


	4. HIGH SCHOOL

It was only the second day of her Senior Year and Beca could smell the early onset stench of desperation as she made her way through the main hall of Barden High. She bobbed and weaved around the frantic students as she made her way to her locker.

She was standing at her locker when she noticed Chloe and Aubrey, the two head bitches of the school, coming down the hall. Chloe caught Beca's eye and Beca quickly looked away.

Beca almost felt bad; almost. She and Chloe had been best of friends last year. That was until Aubrey Posen showed up. That's when Beca went from Chloe's best friend to Chloe's friend, to Chloe's ex-friend, as Aubrey took sole possession as her 'best' friend.

Seeing Chloe heading her way, Beca slammed her locker closed and hurried in the opposite direction.

"Beca!" she had heard Chloe's voice call out, but she pretended not to hear and continued to her class.

Once in class, Beca found a seat and sat down. She played with her thumb ring as her mind went back to this time last year and how her friendship with Chloe started.

Beca and her mom had moved to Barden the summer before her Junior Year. Beca walked into her first-period class and was assigned the empty seat next to Chloe.

" _Hi, my name is Chloe," Chloe had whispered. "What's yours?"_

" _Um, Beca."_

" _It's nice to meet you, Beca," Chloe said with a smile that Beca got lost in. "I have a feeling we're going to be the best of friends."_

For Chloe, it was that simple. She met you, she liked you, and you were friends. That's how Chloe was and that's how she had become one of the most popular girls in school. She was nice to everyone.

Beca couldn't help the small smile she was wearing as she continued her trip down memory lane.

By Halloween Beca and Chloe were indeed the best of friends. They were, as her grandmother liked to say, joined at the hips. Wherever Beca was, Chloe was close by. And, wherever Chloe was, Beca was close by.

Chloe had a way about her. She could get Beca to do almost anything with a pout and a sweetly spoken, _Please, Becs? For me?_

Chloe even talked Beca and their friend, Jessica, into dressing up as Josie and the Pussycats for the school's Halloween Festival. Beca hated dressing up for Halloween. Beca was surprised when they won the trophy for the best group costume. The last Beca saw of it, the trophy was proudly sitting front and center of Chloe's cheerleading, singing, and volleyball trophies

Beca was over Chloe's so much that the Beales treated Beca like family. And, since Beca and her mom were new to the area, Chloe invited them to her house to spend Thanksgiving with her family.

Beca's mom loved Chloe and was happy that Beca had Chloe as her best friend. She considered Chloe a good influence on Beca and liked how much happier Beca seemed when the two were around each other.

Everything was going great for them until, suddenly, Chloe had two best friends.

It was no longer just Beca and Chloe, it was now Beca, Chloe, and Aubrey. Aubrey's dad was in the military and they moved to the area at the beginning of December. Chloe immediately made friends with Aubrey and included her in all the plans she made with Beca. Beca and Aubrey had clashed from the moment they first met each other.

Aubrey didn't care for Beca's ear piercings, or as she liked to call them, ear monstrosities. Nor did she like the fact that Chloe never wanted to do anything without including Beca.

Beca didn't care for Aubrey's domineering ways. She was always criticizing Chloe, saying things like she should dye her hair blonde because she'd look 'super cute' with blonde hair. If Beca said anything, Chloe would just shrug it off saying things like, "She doesn't mean it." Or, "That's just the way Aubrey is." And worse, Chloe would always change what she and Beca were planning to do based on Aubrey's dislike for the activity or just wanting to do something else.

Whenever the two clashed, Chloe would try and play peacemaker, and Beca would always give in because she just couldn't seem to say no to Chloe. Beca hated the smug grin Aubrey gave her every time Chloe talked Beca into doing what Aubrey wanted.

It all came to a head during Spring Break. Beca had had enough and totally canceled on Chloe because Chloe had given in to Aubrey and instead of going to play laser tag as she and Chloe had planned, Chloe told Beca they were going to a movie that Aubrey wanted to see.

" _I'm not going," Beca told Chloe over the phone. "We had plans and I'm tired of them always getting changed because of Aubrey."_

" _Come on, Becs," Chloe said. "Come to the movie. It's a comedy. You'll like it, I promise."_

" _You don't get it, Chloe," Beca said, getting frustrated with her best friend. "You know I don't like movies, and Aubrey is always suggesting movies over what we had already planned. And you give in to her every time. I can't keep doing something I don't like just because you can't stand up to her and tell her we already had something planned."_

" _Beca," Chloe said. "Please? Do this for me."_

" _No," Beca said with a lump in her throat. "Not this time. When you two plan an activity you don't change your plans for me if I don't want to do it, so why should I always change what we had planned because Aubrey doesn't want to do it?"_

_Beca heard Chloe let out a sigh, but Chloe doesn't say anything._

" _I guess I'll see you around," Beca said and ended the call._

Beca didn't speak to Chloe after that. She ignored Chloe's calls and texts. If she saw Chloe, she always changed direction. She made sure to get to class at the last minute so Chloe didn't have a chance to talk to her. She would then be the first out of the class.

After the first week, Aubrey had the nerve to get in Beca's face and tell her to fix whatever was bothering her and apologize to Chloe for making her sad. Beca told Aubrey to 'fuck off' and stormed off only to turn the corner and run right into Chloe.

" _Sorry," Beca muttered and went to walk around Chloe. Chloe grabbed her arm to stop her._

" _Beca, please," Chloe said with a tear in her eye. "Can we talk? I miss you."_

_Beca's heart broke seeing Chloe cry, but she had to stand firm. "I'm sorry, Chloe. But as long as you continue to change things for Aubrey and ignore what I want to do, I don't want to be around you, and I especially don't want to be around her. I don't get why you're even friends with her. She's always bossing you around, she's constantly criticizing your clothes or your hair. She's not a real friend and nothing I say to you will make you see that. So, I'm removing myself from the situation because I can't stand to watch her do that to you anymore. I'm not the only one who feels this way; look around you, Chlo. Everyone at school has started calling you and Aubrey the head bitches of Barden High. You used to be the most popular girl in our school, and now, even I, the closed-off alt-girl, have more friends than you."_

_Chloe let a tear fall from her eye. "Beca, please. You're supposed to be my best friend."_

" _And you were supposed to be mine," Beca said sadly. "But not anymore. You standing by Aubrey and her bitchy ways has managed to push away most of your friends, including me. So, congratulate her for me. She is now your only best friend and she doesn't have to share you with me or anyone else."_

_It hurt Beca to the core to turn and walk away from Chloe, but she felt she had to do it._

It's been over four months since that day. Beca had hoped that walking away from Chloe might be the wake-up call Chloe needed; it wasn't. Chloe continued to hang around Aubrey, losing what few friends she managed to hang on to up to that point.

Aubrey had a mean streak and wasn't afraid to show it. Everyone steered clear of her, and by association, they steered clear of Chloe, too. Beca felt bad but couldn't help but feel that Chloe brought it on herself by not standing up to Aubrey and her domineering ways.

" _I fucking hate high school drama_ ," Beca thought.

Beca's mind snapped back to the present when the bell rang. She realized she had missed everything that had happened during class. As she hurried out of class, she saw her friend CR and called out to her.

"What's up, Beca?" CR asked as Beca caught up to her.

"Can you text me the homework assignment?" Beca asked. "I zoned out for the whole class and have no idea what the homework is."

"Sure," CR said. "Hey, a bunch of us are going to the movies on Friday night. Before you say no, I know you don't like movies but we're going to see _Bohemian Rhapsody_. I figure that would be something you'd like."

"Oh, yeah, I'm in," Beca said. "I've been wanting to see that."

"Cool," CR said. "We'll talk more about it at lunch. Come sit at our table."

"Okay," Beca said and rushed off to her next class.

Beca made it to class just as the bell rang. Her face fell when she noticed there was one seat left - the one next to Chloe.

Chloe smiled at Beca as Beca made it to seat and flopped down in it.

"Hey, Becs," Chloe said.

Beca looked at Chloe and muttered a cold, "Hey."

She took out her notebook and pencil and faced the front of the room.

"How's your mom?" Chloe asked.

"Why are you talking to her, Chloe?" Aubrey asked coldly.

"Yeah, Chloe," Beca said, turning toward the redhead. "Why _are_ you talking to me? I didn't hear Aubrey give you permission."

"Why are you such a bitch?" Aubrey asked.

"Why are you?" Beca countered.

"Both of you stop it," Chloe said, her face red from trying to rein in her anger.

"I will when she does," Beca said.

"That's enough!" Mrs. Jenkins yelled from the front of the room, causing all three girls' heads to snap up toward the front of the classroom. "You three either keep it civil or go spend the class in the Principal's office."

"She really means you, hob-bitch," Aubrey said and snickered. She thought only Beca and Chloe would hear her.

"Fuck you, Posen," Beca said and stood, holding up her hands. "I know, Mrs. Jenkins. Principal's office. I'm going."

Beca grabbed her backpack and left the room.

"Aubrey, don't think I didn't hear what you said," Mrs. Jenkins said. "And since Beca has voluntarily gone to the Principal's office, you may remain. But, I want to see you after class." Mrs. Jenkins looked to a curly-haired boy sitting in the front row. "Benji, be a dear and go sit in the seat Beca just vacated. Chloe, I want you to move here. A little separation might do you and Miss Posen some good."

Chloe and Benji took their stuff and moved to their new seats. Aubrey scoffed and glared at Mrs. Jenkins.

"Now where was I?" Mrs. Jenkins said and continued with the lesson.

**~ HIGH SCHOOL ~**

As soon as Mrs. Jenkins dismissed the class, Chloe was up and out of her seat before Aubrey knew what happened. She shrugged her shoulders and went to see what Mrs. Jenkins had to say.

Chloe didn't want to speak to or see Aubrey or Beca, so she swiftly made her way to her next class and sat next to Jessica and Ashley. Aubrey was surprised when she walked in and saw there were no seats by Chloe. She sat at the first empty seat the saw without saying anything to Chloe.

Beca stayed in the Principal's office that period. Chloe sat chewing on her bottom lip, worrying that maybe Beca got into a lot more trouble than she thought.

Chloe was hurrying down a side hall to get to the cafeteria. She was hoping to convince Beca to talk to her.

"Chloe," Aubrey called out, causing Chloe to stop and wait for Aubrey to catch up to her. "Why didn't you wait for me?"

"I wanted to talk to Beca," Chloe said.

"Why?" Aubrey asked.

"Because I like her and I miss her," Chloe said, not looking at Aubrey. "And I want to be Beca's friend again."

"So, you're dumping me for her?" Aubrey scoffed. "Unbelievable."

Aubrey leaned her back against the wall with a frown on her face.

"I'm not dumping you, Brey," Chloe said, sounding frustrated. "I lost Beca's friendship because I chose you over her every time we had plans. I regret that I did that because I like Beca so much." Chloe stopped and let out a breath. She leaned her back against the wall, and her voice got quiet as she said, "I really like her as more than a friend. I want to be more than just her friend, and I was scared that if I told her, I would lose her friendship. And then when she got mad and quit talking to me I thought maybe it was for the best, but it wasn't. I miss her so much and I want her back in my life as a friend or whatever she wants it to be. But, now I'll be lucky if she even speaks to me anymore."

Chloe slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. She wiped a tear from her eye and looked down at her lap.

"Chloe, I didn't know," Aubrey said and slid down to sit next to Chloe. "This is all my fault. I've been selfish where you're concerned, and I'm sorry. It's just-. You're the first real friend I've had since I was six years old. We moved around so much because of my dad that as soon as I made a friend, he'd be transferred somewhere else and we had to leave. I wasn't friends long enough with anyone for them to want to stay in touch. My dad knew it upset me, so he promised me we'd stay in Barden until I graduated."

Aubrey wiped tears from her eyes and grabbed Chloe's hand. "I dreamt of having someone be my friend, my best friend, and have a friendship that would last even if I moved again. And when you wanted to be my friend, I felt like my dream was coming true. But, you had Beca and you've known her longer. I wanted us to be the best of friends, but I could tell I'd never have what you had with Beca, and I was jealous. I realize now that I was your best friend, while she was so much more than that. I'm so sorry, Chloe. What can I do to fix you and Beca? Name it. I'll do anything. I swear, anything."

Chloe let out a sad laugh. "I accept your apology, but I'm not sure you or I can do anything to fix this. I, I think I love her, Brey, and she doesn't want to have anything to do with me."

Chloe started crying and Aubrey put her arm around her shoulders and held her while she cried.

**~ HIGH SCHOOL ~**

Beca made her way to the cafeteria and found CR. The other girls were chatting amongst themselves but took a moment to greet Beca as she sat down.

"Are you going to the movies with us on Friday night, Beca?" Stacie asked.

"I'm in," Beca said. "What time is the show?"

"The show starts at seven-thirty," Jessica said.

"Yeah," Ashley cut in. "We're planning on grabbing dinner around six at the _Pizza Palace_ before. Fat Amy, Jessica, and I will be riding together in Amy's car. CR will be driving Stacie, Lilly, and Denise in her car. You can ride with Fat Amy or drive yourself so you can leave whenever you want."

"I'll drive myself," Beca said. "I'll meet you guys at the pizza place around six. Oh, before I forget, thanks for the homework info, CR."

"No problem," CR said. "What had you so zoned out during class?"

"I, uh, was thinking about Chloe," Beca said.

"What happened with you guys?" Stacie asked. "I mean, you were best friends from the minute you met, and now you two barely speak."

"Posen happened," Beca spit out, and everyone nodded their heads. "I get that I'm not, I wasn't Chloe's only friend, but I was constantly being ignored so that Aubrey could get her way and I got tired of it." She ran a hand through her hair. "I don't get it. The girl hates me and I never did anything to her."

"Are you jealous because you think Aubrey likes Chloe, too?" Jessica asked.

"What do you mean, too?" Beca asked, an angry frown on her face. "Who else likes Chloe?"

"She's talking about you, Beca," CR said with a laugh. "Don't deny it. We can see it in the way you look at her and talk about her."

"Yeah, well, it doesn't mean anything now," Beca said with a sigh. "Chloe and I aren't friends anymore, and I don't know how to get back to what we had."

"Maybe you should just talk to her about it," CR said.

"Maybe," Beca said.

The bell rang to end the lunch period and Beca walked out of the cafeteria.

**~ HIGH SCHOOL ~**

The rest of the week went by in much the same way. Beca would catch Chloe looking at her and was surprised at the sad expression Chloe seemed to always have on her face.

What was more surprising, was Aubrey. She'd give Beca small smiles and spoke nicely when they saw each other. Beca didn't know what to make of her change in behavior. The smiles appeared to be genuine, and her voice held no animosity when she spoke to Beca.

It was finally Friday, and Beca drove to the mall to meet her friends. Beca made her way to the part of the mall where the pizza place was and looked for a place to park. She noticed Chloe and Aubrey standing next to Aubrey's car with the hood up. She parked nearby and walked over.

"Hey," Beca said hesitantly. "Um, are you guys okay?"

"My car won't start," Aubrey said, sounding frustrated. "And I can't reach my dad."

"Do you have an auto club or something you can call?" Beca asked.

"I did," Aubrey said. "They said they couldn't get anyone here for at least three hours, maybe more."

"Wow," Beca said and thought for a minute.

She looked toward the mall entrance and saw CR and the others watching them. She looked at Chloe, who had been not looked at Beca since she walked over. Beca made a decision and looked at Chloe.

"Why don't you two join us?" Beca asked. "There's a bunch of us getting pizza and then we're going to see _Bohemian Rhapsody_. The auto club should let you know when they're on their way right?"

Aubrey nodded and smiled.

"So, come with me, us. Might as well do something fun while you're waiting."

"That's a great idea," Aubrey said and looked at Chloe. "Come no, Chloe. It sounds like fun. We should go."

"Chlo," Beca said softly, causing the redhead to look at her. "I, uh, I want us to be friends again. This is me extending an olive branch to hopefully get us back to where we were before. What do you say?"

Tears came to Chloe's eyes as she looked at Beca.

"I'm going to go over and let the others know you two will meet us inside," Aubrey said and started to walk away.

"Thanks, Aubrey," Beca said without taking her eyes off Chloe.

Aubrey left the two standing by her car. Beca finally broke the stare and walked over and put the hood of Aubrey's car down. Chloe wiped at the tears in her eyes.

"Chlo," Beca said, standing just behind Chloe and causing her to jump slightly. "I'm sorry. I miss you so much. I understand if you don't want to be around me, but I'm trying here. I'll do whatever Aubrey wants if it means I get to be with you. If it means I get to be friends with you again."

Chloe turned abruptly and grabbed Beca. She smashed her lips into Beca's, causing Beca to let out a surprised squeak. Chloe held onto Beca and, after Beca's initial surprise she started kissing Chloe back.

Chloe suddenly broke the kiss and stepped back with a shocked look on her face. "Oh, my God!"

"Wow," Beca said, slightly dazed. "Can we do that again?"

"You're not mad that I just attacked you?" Chloe asked, looking uncertain.

"You say attacked," Beca said, reaching for Chloe. "I say, you did something I've been wanting to do since we met."

"Really?" Chloe asked as she melted into Beca. "I've been wanting it, too."

Beca smiled and leaned in to kiss Chloe again. Chloe smiled into the kiss.

Beca pulled back. "I am sorry for the way I've been acting toward you. I guess I was jealous of Aubrey and didn't know how to act around you."

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you and put you first sometimes," Chloe said. "Brey and I talked and things are going to change. Which means, we can hang out whenever we want and Aubrey won't have anything to say about it."

Beca smiled and pulled Chloe into a hug. She pulled back and asked, "Do you want to get pizza and see a movie with me? It could be our first date."

"I'd love to," Chloe said with a big smile.

"Come on," Beca said and took Chloe's hand.

The new couple walked hand-in-hand and were surprised to see their friends still standing outside waiting for them. Stacie whistled and they all started cheering. Beca blushed and Chloe smiled as she leaned closer into Beca.

"Let's eat," Fat Amy said and they all made their way into the mall.

"I told you it would work," Aubrey whispered to Chloe as they walked side-by-side.

"What would work?" Beca asked, having heard Aubrey.

"Um, nothing?" Chloe said. Beca looked at her with a raised brow. "Fine."

Chloe stopped and so did Beca and Aubrey.

"You guys coming?" Jessica called back.

"We'll be there in a minute," Beca told her.

Jessica nodded and went into the pizza place.

"Well?" Beca prodded.

"I wanted to talk to you...about us," Chloe said. "We knew you were going to be here so Aubrey suggested we park the car and put the hood up to make it seem like we were broke down. I agreed because I know you're too good a person to leave us stranded like that. Anyway, we put the hood up and waited for you to show up. The girls came over to help but I told them what we were doing so they left us alone."

"We had to turn several other good samaritans away by telling them we were waiting for a friend to come and help us," Aubrey added with a laugh.

"So, you went through all that just to talk to me?" Beca asked.

Chloe nodded and Beca started laughing. "I'm sorry, but that's the craziest thing I've ever heard."

"It worked didn't it?" Aubrey asked with a smug grin before turning and walking to the pizza place. She looked back and smiled at them before she entered.

"Yeah, it did," Beca said, looking at Chloe.

"Better than I expected," Chloe added before giving Beca another quick kiss.

"As Fat Amy said, let's eat," Beca said.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "Let's eat. The faster we eat, the faster I can make out with my girlfriend in the movies."

"Girlfriend, huh?" Beca said with a big grin on her face. "I like that."

They finally make it into the pizza place and see everyone hugging Aubrey.

"She was going to apologize to everyone about the way she was acting," Chloe whispered to Beca as she held her back. "Looks like they forgive her. And, this whole setup of trying to get us back together was her way of apologizing to you. She really is a good person."

"I know," Beca said. "She has to be if you're friends with her."

"I'm glad we're friends again," Chloe said as they took their seats.

"Me, too," Beca said. "But, I'm more glad that we're girlfriends now."

"Me, too," Chloe said and leaned in to kiss Beca.

Their friends started whistling and catcalling, causing Beca to flip them off without breaking the kiss.


	5. WHY ARE YOU HERE?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I found a prompt on Tumblr [located at the end of the story], and loved the idea and wanted to write something for it. Then I saw today's BeChloe Week prompt and decided to combine the two prompts, and this is what I came up with. I hope you like it.

In 2019, small towns are pretty much a thing of the past. Barden, Georgia, was one of the few small towns that managed to maintain its small-town look and feel. Neighbors knew their neighbors; stores were run by the next generation of a family.

Twenty-seven-year old Beca Mitchell liked growing up in Barden. She'd only spent five years of her life not living in Barden. Four were spent attending college in New York and one in Atlanta where she started working as a music producer. She moved back to Barden to help take care of her mother who subsequently succumbed to cancer that had consumed her body. After her mother's passing, she remained living in Barden because she found that she liked living away from the maddening crowd of a big city. She was fortunate that she could do most of her work from home, only having to go into Atlanta once every few months. She did quite well as a producer and has won several awards for her work. Her music career kept her financially stable and didn't leave her wanting for much.

It was a beautiful Spring day and Beca was working in her in-home studio when she was interrupted by her doorbell ringing throughout the house. Beca sighed and made her way downstairs. She opened her door to find yet another man from town standing on her doorstep in the hopes of dating her and making her his bride. Their town was in the middle of nowhere and for some reason, being a rich recluse drew men and women to her like moths to a flame. Beca crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.

"Why are you here, Tom?" Beca asked the man standing before her.

"I have come to take you out," Tom said, his six-foot-two body towering over the diminutive five-foot-three music producer. "I know that once you've been with me, all others will pale in comparison. I am the best choice for you."

Beca let out a laugh. "You are quite full of yourself, aren't you?"

"No," Tom said with an easy grin. "It's confidence. I'm confident that if you give me a chance, you'll see I'm the perfect man to become your husband. You will have a happy and fulfilling life with me."

"Nice try, Tom," Beca said. "But, I'm going to have to pass for now. Thank you for stopping by, and for the invitation."

"That's it?" Tom asked, somewhat shocked. "You're not even going to give me a chance?"

"Oh, everyone will be given a chance," Beca said. "Just not today."

Beca closed the door and went to her kitchen. Tom stood for a few minutes before letting out a sigh and returning to his car.

Beca waited until she heard Tom drive off before smiling and going back to her in-home studio.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

Two days later, there was another suitor at Beca's door. She stood at the window of her studio and opened it.

Soon, a falcon was seen flying through the air around the front of the house. The falcon swooped down and then back up and flew over the house to the back, disappearing inside through the open window.

Beca closed the window and made her way downstairs to the door. She opened the door to a very attractive, leggy brunette woman.

"Hello, Stacie," Beca said. "And, why are you here?"

"Hello, Beca," Stacie said seductively as she eyed Beca up and down. "I was hoping I could take you out some night soon. We can drive into Atlanta and have a nice dinner and see a movie. Maybe spend the night. What night would be best for you?"

"As pleasing an offer as that is, I am not a fan of movies and will have to respectfully decline your offer," Beca said.

"But, why?" Stacie asked, incredulously. "I am only second behind you in being wanted by every man and woman in town. Why are you so indifferent to my charms? Why won't you give me a chance."

"I will tell you, as I have told the last four suitors who made their way here," Beca said. "I will give everyone a chance when I am ready. Not a minute before. Thank you for coming out and for the invitation. I will see you some other time."

Beca closed the door to a stunned Stacie. After staring at the door in disbelief, Stacie huffed and got in her car and drove off.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

Later than day, Stacie had joined her friends, Aubrey and Chloe, for a bite of lunch. They were sitting at a table outside their favorite diner.

"She turned me down," Stacie said in a huff. "How could she turn _me_ down?"

"Maybe she's just not interested in you," Chloe said as she distractedly pets the black cat that was lying by their table.

"Everyone is interested in me," Stacie said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"I'm not," Chloe said with a smile.

"Neither am I," Aubrey said.

"You two don't count," Stacie said with a laugh. "But, Beca does. I will figure out a way to get her to go out with me. She will be mine."

"You're coming on too strong," Aubrey said. "Everyone is using the same approach to get her to date them. Anyone who wants to be with Beca Mitchell will have to figure out a way to stand out from the rest. It is basically a competition for her hand, you should treat it as such and make her notice you."

The three friends continued talking about anything and everything. The cat, seemingly bored with the chit chat, stood and stretched. It rubbed against Chloe's leg before it strutted off down the sidewalk.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

Beca sat on her back porch, sipping from a cold glass of tea. She was thinking about some idle talk that she had become aware of.

"A competition for my hand?" Beca said, her voice barely above a whisper. "That could be the answer to my current dilemma."

Beca sat back with a smile and planned her trip into town the next day.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

Beca was up and about early the next day. She drove into town and first went to the local hardware store.

"Good morning, Beca," Mr. Swanson called out as she entered. "What may I do for you this fine morning?"

"I need to have a copy of this key made," Beca said, holding the key out to Mr. Swanson.

"That won't be a problem," Mr. Swanson said, taking the key. "It should only take a minute."

Beca looked around as Mr. Swanson went to the key making machine. She let out a heavy sigh when she heard her name being called from behind her.

" _Becaw_!" Jesse Swanson called out, causing Beca to shake her head before turning to face him.

"Jesse," Beca said tersely.

"Don't be like that, Beca," Jesse said with a boyish grin. "There's a new movie coming to Barden Theater on Friday night. Would you like to go with me?"

"You know I don't like movies, Jesse," Beca said. "So, I will have to decline. But, thank you for asking."

"Come on, Beca," Jesse said, pushing his case. "You're a Barden girl, born and bred, and I'm a Barden boy, born and bred. We are going to have Barden born and bred children. It's inevitable."

Beca rolled her eyes and turned back to Mr. Swanson. "Almost done there, Mr. Swanson?"

"Yes, of course," Mr. Swanson said. "Here you go. That will be two dollars and twenty-nine cents."

"Here you go," Beca said, handing Mr. Swanson a five-dollar bill.

Mr. Swanson put the bill in his cash drawer and counted out Beca's change. He handed Beca her change and leaned forward to whisper, "Jesse's a good boy. You could do worse."

"Thank you, Mr. Swanson," Beca said and pocketed her change. She turned and left the hardware store.

Mr. Swanson and Jesse both watched Beca leave. They both then sighed and went back to work.

Beca walked over to _Posen's Crafts Emporium_ and entered. She noticed that several of the workers and customers took notice of her.

She gave a small smile to no one in particular and made her way back to the aisle with ribbons on display. She stopped and looked at the various colors and styles of ribbons.

"May I help you find something, Beca?" Aubrey asked.

"Oh, hey, Aubrey," Beca said.

Beca liked Aubrey. She was straight forward and honest. And she didn't hit on Beca like everyone else did. They formed a strong friendship over the years and managed to maintain that friendship when Beca was away at college and lived in Atlanta.

"I need a ribbon," Beca said. "Something that will fit snugly, but not too tightly, around a cat's neck. And it can't be too wide."

"Any particular color?" Aubrey asked, moving to look at the ribbon choices.

"Something that will stand out against black fur," Beca said, adding with a laugh, "But not pink."

Aubrey chuckled. "Still have an aversion to the color pink since the Pepto-Bismol incident, hmm?"

"I'll never live that down," Beca said with a smile. "I don't know what my mother was thinking, giving me Pepto-Bismol when I was already throwing up."

"I have to admit," Aubrey said with a smile. "It was kind of fun to see Bumper covered in pink vomit."

"You are so bad, Aubrey," Beca said with a chuckle. "Although it did stop him from bothering me after that. Even now, he turns the other way when he sees me coming."

Aubrey picked up a ribbon. "How about this one? It's a really nice shade of blue."

"I like it," Beca said. "That will be perfect. Thank you, Aubrey."

"You're welcome," Aubrey said. "Come up to the register with me and I'll get you checked out."

Beca followed Aubrey, chatting about Aubrey's family. Beca paid for the ribbon and Aubrey put it in a bag before handing it to Beca.

"So, what do you need with the ribbon, if I may ask?" Aubrey said.

"It's a surprise," Beca said and leaned in to whisper, "All will be revealed at the Barden Festival this Saturday."

"A mystery, hmm?" Aubrey said. "I can't wait to see what you have in store for us."

"I'll see you later," Beca said. "And thanks for the help."

"Any time," Aubrey said as Beca left the store.

Beca walked to her car, nodding at her neighbors as she did. She got into her car and drove to the Barden Animal Shelter.

"Hey, Beca," Chloe called out as Beca walked in.

"Hey, Chloe," Beca said. "Why are you here?"

Beca knew Chloe was the town vet and the only time she came to the shelter was if one of the animals was sick. These animals were like Beca's family. She felt a kinship to them.

"Snowflake was sick," Chloe said. "I just came to check him out."

"Is he okay?" Beca asked, concern in her voice.

"He's fine," Chloe said. "I gave him some extra special attention, but I'm sure he'd love it if you went back to see him."

"I'd love to," Beca said with a smile.

Chloe led Beca to the back and stopped at a cage that housed a small white ball of fur.

"Hey, Snowflake," Beca said as she opened the cage. "How are you feeling, buddy? Did Dr. Beale take good care of you?"

Beca dropped to her knees as the dog came over to her. She picked the dog up and the dog started licking her face, causing Beca to laugh.

Chloe stood back and smiled. She loved Beca's laugh. She sighed as she stared lovingly at the woman who the entire town seemed to be enamored over. Chloe was in that group but was way too shy to even attempt to ask Beca to go out with her. She had to settle for loving her from afar. Although, she had no idea how she was going to handle seeing Beca with someone else. She sighed and decided to do a quick check on all the animals waiting to be adopted.

Beca stayed and played with several of the animals for the next hour. She closed the cage after placing one of the cats back.

"Thank you, Dr. Beale," Beca said with a smile towards Chloe.

"Any time, Beca," Chloe said. "I know they all love when you visit."

Beca left and drove home. She cut a piece of ribbon and threaded it through the hole in the new door key she had made. She held it up and smiled before laying it down on her nightstand.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

"Hey, Chloe," Aubrey said as she joined her best friend for their usual lunch date.

"Hey, Brey," Chloe said, her brows furrowed.

"What's wrong?" Aubrey asked.

"You see that dog over there?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Aubrey said, looking to where Chloe was pointing.

"Have you seen it before?" Chloe asked. "He doesn't look familiar."

Aubrey let out a laugh. "How could you possibly recognize every dog in Barden?"

"I don't," Chloe said. "But, I'm the only vet and I see most of the cats and dogs in my office at one time or another. I don't recognize him. And, I swear he has these dark blue eyes, with hints of gray. That's unusual for a mutt."

"What are we looking at?" Stacie asked as she joined her two best friends.

"That dog's unusual mutt eyes," Aubrey said with a chuckle.

"Brey," Choe said and slapped at her arm.

"Whatever," Stacie said. "I've come up with a new way to get Beca Mitchell's attention."

"Oh, God," Aubrey muttered. "What now?"

"I'm going to sing to her," Stacie said, her eyes gleaming.

"Why?" Chloe asked.

"Because, duh, she's a music producer," Stacie said. "If I sing to her she'll know I like music as much as she does and that will be my in to get closer to her."

"Or, she'll hate it because everyone will be thinking the same thing," Aubrey said. "And she'll be having all these no-talents trying to serenade her."

"I have talent, but you're probably right," Stacie said. "There has to be something I can do. But, that will have to wait, because I'm hungry. Where's our waitress?"

The dog Chloe had been studying, stood and lazily walked down the street to disappear around a building. Chloe watched until the dog was out of sight. She hoped the dog had someplace to go.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

The Barden Festival was in full swing and Beca was being stopped constantly by people who wanted her attention. She was growing weary of it and finally went behind a building to find some peace.

"Hey, there's that mutt again," Chloe said, causing Aubrey to look.

"He must belong to someone if he's still around," Aubrey said.

"I guess," Chloe said and started walking toward the dog.

"Where are you going?"

"I just want to make sure he's okay," Chloe said.

Before Chloe could reach the dog, he ran off. Chloe heard a sound and looked up to see a beautiful bluebird flying around. Chloe smiled and forgot about the dog.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

"Okay, everyone," Chicago said. "The band will be taking a short break. In the meantime, Beca Mitchell has something she would like to say."

Beca makes way to the center of the stage to whistles and "Marry me, Beca." Chicago smiled at her as she walked over to him.

"You look as gorgeous as ever this evening, Beca," Chicago said with a smile.

Beca cleared her throat. "Um, thank you, Chicago. Could you, um, hand me the mic, please?"

"Of course," Chicago said.

Beca took the microphone and looked around. She took a breath.

"Good evening, everyone," Beca said. "I'm not sure why, but it seems that a number of you have been vying for my hand."

"I love you, Beca!" a voice shouts out from the crowd, causing others to yell out and the crowd to grow noisy.

"I have decided to hold a competition," Beca said loudly into the mic. The crowd grew quiet as what Beca said sunk in. "A competition in which the prize will be my hand in marriage."

An appreciative murmur went up from the crowd. Beca waits for the crowd to settle down and holds up the key tied with the blue ribbon.

"This key is to my house," Beca said. "My cat, Midnight, will have this key tied around her neck as she roams around town. The person who can get the key from around her neck, and come open my front door, will be the person that I will marry."

The crowd started shouting and cheering.

"I'll be damned," Aubrey said with a laugh. "This should be fun to watch."

Chloe looked around and winced at some of the comments she heard being thrown about at what they were going to do once they had Beca Mitchell as their bride. She was disgusted by them.

"Don't worry about them," Stacie said. "Beca will be mine."

"Starting tomorrow," Beca continued as the crowd settled down again. "My cat will be roaming around Barden with the key secured around her neck. Please do not harm my cat trying to get the key. That's a sure way to be a loser even when you think you've won. Thank you, and may the best man, or woman, win."

Beca glanced out over the crowd as she made her way offstage. She could see a few of her most recent suitors watching her every move. She gave a little smirk before turning away from the crowd and leaving the stage completely.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

Sunday dawned and the streets of Barden were bustling with activity. It seems every man and woman who had designs on Beca were out searching for Midnight to make an appearance. It was nearing eleven and a crowd had gathered at the Farmer's Market.

The stalls were bustling with the locals buying up their favorite produce and partaking of some of the street food. Tom Henderson and Chicago Walp were trying to one-up each other as they grabbed a bite from the Mexican Taqueria.

"I am so much better for her than you will ever be," Tom boasted. "I own my own business and have one of the biggest houses in town."

"She doesn't need your money or your house," Chicago scoffed. "She needs someone who can protect her. I'm in the army and my life is spent protecting people. She'll love how safe I can make her."

Suddenly, it was as if someone turned the sound off. Everything grew quiet and the only sound you could hear was the soft breeze as it made its way through the market area.

"It's Midnight," someone whispered in awe.

Sure enough, strolling through the middle of the Farmer's Market was Midnight, key glistening as it bounced around her neck. She strolled as only a cat could do. Head and tail held high; grace and majesty in her every move.

Suddenly, Midnight stopped and hissed as several people from the crowd started after her. Midnight ran and weaved through the crowd while people were being pushed and shoved out of the way as they tried to catch the elusive feline.

"Dammit," Stacie cried. "Where did she go?"

Tom saw the cat sitting near the trees, silently watching everyone running around. He quietly snuck away from the crowd and started running as soon as he was close. Midnight twitched her tail and ran toward Tom. Tom smiled and went to reach out for her only to have Midnight make a quick turn and dodge between his legs. He fell to the ground trying to catch her, coming up empty-handed.

The market went back to some semblance of normalcy after a bit when everyone realized Midnight was no longer in the area.

"Hey, fella," Chloe called out to the stray mutt she had seen earlier the week before. "It's okay. I won't hurt you."

The dog watched for a moment before turning and running off. Chloe huffed and stomped her foot in frustration before going back to catch up with Aubrey.

Aubrey stood next to Stacie, laughing. Stacie looked pissed.

"No luck?" Chloe asked Stacie.

"Would I still be here if I had caught that damned cat?" Stacie asked.

"That was so much fun to watch," Aubrey said between laughs. "I can't wait until the next show."

Chloe couldn't help but laugh along with Aubrey. It was pretty comical seeing all those people falling all over themselves trying to catch Midnight.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

The competition raged on with no victor after a month. Beca would make an appearance in town every now and then, only to have people trying to find out where Midnight was roaming that day. Beca would shake her head and say, "It's not my job to tell you where she is; it's your job to find her."

Aubrey and Chloe were getting tired of Stacie suddenly jumping up and rushing off because someone had seen Midnight.

One day, Chloe and Aubrey were walking to the diner when they saw Chicago setting up some kind of elaborate trap.

"What are you doing?" Chloe asked, looking at the trap.

"I'm setting a trap to catch Midnight," Chicago said. "And then Beca Mitchell will be my wife."

"You can't do that," Chloe said. "That trap could break her leg or worse. Beca asked that no one harm her cat. She's not going to be happy with you if you hurt Midnight."

"She'll realize it's inevitable that we belong together and she'll forgive me if Midnight is hurt," Chicago said.

"Come on, Chlo," Aubrey said. "Midnight is too smart to easily fall for this trap."

Later that evening, Chloe dismantled the trap. She was startled when she saw Midnight watching her from about six feet away.

"Don't worry, Midnight," Chloe said. "I won't let any of them hurt you. I promise."

Chloe swears she saw Midnight smirk and give her a nod before sauntering off toward Beca's.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

"It's been almost three months," Jesse told his father. "No one has been able to catch that stupid cat."

A crow cawed as it sat on the telephone wires overhead. Mr. Swanson looked up when the crow cawed and laughed. "That crow sounds like you when you call to Beca. Why do you do that? Call her _Becaw_."

"It started as a joke," Jesse said with a sheepish grin. "We were in Middle School and my voice was changing. I called to her across the cafeteria and my voice cracked at the end so it sounded like I was saying _Becaw_. The whole cafeteria heard and the kids all teased me about it. I started doing it for fun and it just kind of stuck."

"What are you going to do about catching Midnight?" Mr. Swanson asked.

"I need to take one of those traps you have to catch feral cats," Jesse said. "I'm going to set it out near the woods. Once Midnight is caught, I can take the key and go claim Beca."

The crow cawed again and flew off. Jesse and Mr. Swanson watched it as it moved gracefully through the sky before it was no longer visible.

Later that night, Jesse was hiding in the bushes near the feral trap he had set. He was surprised to see Midnight approach and sniff at the trap. He smiled as he sensed victory was within his grasp. His smile dropped when he saw Midnight turn and look toward his hiding place. He swears he heard what sounded like a scoff come from Midnight. He was even more astounded when she looked right at him and seemed to shake her head before sauntering away from Jesse and his trap.

"What the Hell just happened?" Jesse muttered to himself.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

Beca sat at an outside table trying to contain her laughter as she overheard conversations about what people were doing to try and capture Midnight to get her house key.

Beca finished her lunch and ran a few chores before heading back home. She went to her studio and did some work.

It had been just over three months since she had started the competition for her hand. She had finally found a way to get people to leave her alone and focus all their attention on catching Midnight.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

It was late one night when Chloe was on her way home after being called to check on Mrs. Franklin's cat, Mittens. She couldn't help but smile as she remembered the sweet smile Mrs. Franklin gave her once she knew her Mittens was going to be fine.

Chloe stopped when she heard was sounded like a cry of pain; the sound of an animal's cry of pain. She rushed toward the sound and found Beca's cat, Midnight, caught in a trap suspended about five feet in the air.

"Oh, Midnight," Chloe said and managed to get the cat of the trap.

Midnight ran a few feet away and turned back to look at Chloe. Chloe watched as the cat sat back on its haunches and watched her. Chloe sat cross-legged on the ground, moving slowly so as not to frighten the cat.

"I'm sorry this happened to you, Midnight," Chloe said, watching the cat. "I can't think of anything worse than intentionally trying to harm an animal for your own personal gain. Although, I wish I was brave enough to try and get the key. There's something special about Beca and I've had a crush on her for so long. I wish I had more confidence so I could win her heart and her hand."

Chloe wiped at a tear that fell down her cheek as she stood up. "Well, goodnight Midnight. Try and be more careful. These people are getting desperate to try and catch you."

Chloe turned and continued on her way home. Midnight sat and watched until Chloe was out of sight before turning and making her way home.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

Beca made her way into the animal shelter, hoping to see Chloe. Chloe always made her smile and she enjoyed her company.

"Beca," Chloe said. "How are you? Why are you here? It's not your usual day to visit."

"I'm good," Beca said. "I was hoping you'd be here."

Chloe's heart fluttered. "Really? And why is that?"

"I heard what you did for Midnight the other night," Beca said. "Getting her out of that trap. And I wanted to thank you for that."

"How did you hear about that?" Chloe said and then smiled. "Aubrey."

"Yeah," Beca said. "She mentioned you told her about it. I may have to rethink this whole competition thing."

Chloe just smiled but didn't say anything.

"Well, I should be going," Beca said. "I just wanted to say thanks for saving Midnight."

"No need to thank me," Chloe said. "I would do it again if needed."

"Good to know," Beca said. "I'll see you later."

"Bye, Beca," Chloe said and watched Beca leave.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

A few nights later, Midnight sat on the grass looking at what she knew to be a trap. She eyed it warily and then laid on her side as if waiting for someone to come by.

Chloe was walking down the street with Aubrey when they heard hissing and meowing. Chloe looked over to see a cat hanging in another trap.

"Oh, no," Chloe gasped and rushed over, surprised to see the cat was Midnight. "Midnight, we've talked about this. Help me get her down, Brey."

Aubrey and Chloe got Midnight out of the trap and Midnight stretched and looked up at Chloe. Chloe and Aubrey stayed still so as not to scare Midnight.

Midnight walked over and rubbed herself against Chloe's legs and then sat at her feet.

"I think she wants you to sit next to her, Chlo," Aubrey said.

"You think?" Chloe asked. At Aubrey's nod, Chloe slowly sat down and looked at Midnight. Midnight looked back at her.

Aubrey's eyes grew wide when Midnight stepped over to Chloe and crawled onto her lap. The cat then put her paws on Chloe's chests and stretched her neck. She rubbed her head under Chloe's chin. Chloe gently held her close and looked up at Aubrey in shock.

"Take it, Chloe," Aubrey said. "Take the key. I think Midnight wants you to."

Chloe looked up at Aubrey and then back down at the cat. Midnight sat motionless in Chloe's lap. Chloe swallowed and slowly moved her hands to the ribbon holding the key around Midnight's neck. Midnight moved her head slightly so Chloe could untie the ribbon. Chloe held onto both ends of the ribbon and Midnight stepped back so Chloe was holding the key. Chloe sat there, unsure of what to do.

"Congratulations, Chloe," Aubrey said, smiling at her best friend. "It looks like your wish has finally come true."

"But, Beca won't want me," Chloe said.

"Are you crazy?" Aubrey said and knelt next to Chloe. "She's had a crush on you almost as long as you've had one on her. She never thought she had a chance with you because you never showed any interest in her."

"There are so many who wanted her," Chloe said. "I didn't think I had a chance to be with her."

"It looks like you have your chance now," Aubrey said.

Midnight meowed and moved a few feet in the direction of Beca's house and looked back at Chloe. Chloe realized she was still holding the key up in the air and slowly lowered her arms. Midnight meowed again and took a few more steps before looking back at Chloe.

"I think she wants you to follow her," Aubrey said. "Go ahead, Chloe. Go to Beca."

Chloe had tears in her eyes as she and Aubrey stood. She gave Aubrey a quick hug and turned to Midnight.

"Call me later," Aubrey said.

"I will," Chloe said through her tears. "Lead me to her, Midnight. If I truly belong with Beca, lead me to her."

Midnight turned and started walking toward Beca's house. Chloe took one last look at a smiling Aubrey and turned to follow Midnight.

Midnight made her way to Beca's and sat on the front porch in front of the door. Chloe walked up and looked at the door.

"Here goes nothing," Chloe whispered as she took the ribbon with the key still attached to it and put the key in the door. She took a deep breath and turned the key. The doorknob turned and Chloe pushed the door open.

Midnight slipped through the small opening and went into the house. Chloe continued to slowly push until the door was completely opened; Midnight was sitting on the floor a few feet away from the door. Chloe turned and slowly closed the door behind her so it would not slam.

She turned and looked down at Midnight, and asked, "Now what?"

Chloe stumbled back a few steps until her back was to the door. For where Midnight once stood, now stood Beca Mitchell. The transformation only took a few seconds.

"What? How?" Chloe asked.

"I am a shapeshifter," Beca said. "My mother's side of the family are all shapeshifters. I hope this doesn't frighten you."

"No, it doesn't," Chloe said, surprising herself. She took a step toward Beca. "I was just surprised."

Beca and Chloe stood staring at each other when Chloe's eyes suddenly widened.

"Midnight? The dog? Birds that suddenly appeared out of nowhere-"

"They are all me," Beca said with a smile. "I can shift into any animal in a few seconds."

"Wow," as all Chloe could think to say.

"I am glad it was you who got the key," Beca said softly. "I have liked you for some time but didn't think you were interested."

"I felt and thought the same about you," Chloe said.

"Would you mind if I kissed you?" Beca asked. "I've wanted to for so long, but since that night you freed me from that trap I have thought of nothing else."

Chloe closed the distance and wrapped her arms around Beca'S back. Beca put her hands on Chloe's hips. They stood looking at each other for a moment before closing the distance and joining their lips.

**~ WHY ARE YOU HERE? ~**

The next day, the town of Barden was abuzz at seeing Beca Mitchell and Chloe Beale walking down the street, hand-in-hand. Around Chloe's neck was the blue ribbon with her new house key dangling from it.

Aubrey walked up and hugged Beca and then Chloe. She took the ribbon in her hand and said, "It's amazing how the blue matches your eyes, Chloe."

Chloe smiled and looked over to Beca. "Did you plan it that way?"

"No, actually, I didn't," Beca said and looked at Aubrey.

"Meh," Aubrey said, laying the key back down against Chloe's throat. "It was the perfect color and served its purpose."

"Thank you," Beca said. "Now, we both have something to ask you."

"I thought we decided I get to ask her," Chloe said.

"But, she's my best friend, too," Beca said. Chloe looked at her with her eyes wide and her lower lip trembling. "Fine, you can ask her."

Chloe's smile grew wider. She kissed Beca and said, "Thank you."

"Oh, my God," Aubrey said. "She's got you whipped already."

Beca glared at her and Chloe laughed.

"Anyway," Chloe said and looked at Aubrey. "Beca and I are getting married as soon as we can. And I want to know if you'll be my Maid of Honor?"

"I'd be honored," Aubrey said and pulled Chloe into a hug. She pulled back and looked at Beca. "Who are you going to get to be your Maid of Honor?"

Beca looked around at all the townspeople staring at them. "I think I'll call my cousin in Portland and see if she'll do it."

"That's probably for the best," Aubrey said with a laugh. "Congratulations you two."

Chloe smiled and turned to Beca. "I can't wait to be married to you."

Beca smiled in return and pulled Chloe into a kiss. The townspeople cheered and began to congratulate the couple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from Tumblr (sorry I didn't write down who posted the prompt; I also shortened it slightly): The most wanted woman in town has announced that she'll only marry the one who can open her front door with the key around her cat's neck. Many men try to hunt the cat down, chase and trap it, but to no avail, the cat is simply too quick, smart and clever, and always finds a way to evade and avoid them.
> 
> Plot twist: The woman is a shapeshifter. She is the cat.


	6. AMNESIA

The petite brunette stood looking up at the apartment building she was standing in front of.

"God," she said. "I live here?"

She looked back down at the driver's license in her hand.

"Rebecca Mitchell. Apartment 3C," the woman read aloud. "Well, here goes nothing."

Rebecca Mitchell saw the 'out of order' sign on the elevator as soon as she walked in the door. She eyed the stairs and headed for them. She slowly made her way up to the third floor, each step taking longer than the last.

" _Do I really want to know what or who is waiting for me here_?" Beca thought as she made her way down the hallway, stopping at the door with 3C on it.

Rebecca looked to her right and then to her left, before settling her eyes on the door in front of her. She raised her fist, and before she could change her mind, she rapped three times on the door.

She held her breath as she waited for someone to answer. After a minute, she was still waiting. She pressed her ear to the door and couldn't hear anything.

"Did I live here alone?" she whispered. The very idea that she was alone brought a tear to her eye.

She continued to stand there, unsure of what her next move should be. The sound of something dropping to the floor caused her to jerk her head around to the sound.

"BECA!" a redheaded woman shouted and ran straight at her. Rebecca swallowed and looked for somewhere to run, but the woman had already closed the distance and was now holding onto Rebecca as if she was never going to let her go.

Rebecca stood there rigid in the redhead's arms. The girl was crying and Rebecca didn't know what to do. The woman continued to cry, pulling Rebecca as close to her as she could. It took a few minutes but she finally relaxed her hold as she sniffled a few times.

"Oh, my God," the redhead cried. "I thought you were dead."

This girl knew Rebecca. Maybe she could help her figure out who she was.

"Um," Rebecca said and awkwardly patted the girl on the back. "Do you know me?"

The redhead pulled back quickly and said, "What?"

"I, um, asked if you know me," Rebecca said.

The redhead took a step back. "Is this some kind of a joke?" she asked, her tone angry. "It's not very funny, Beca."

"I swear I'm not joking," Rebecca said earnestly. "I really don't know who you are. Hell, I don't even know who I am."

The redhead studied the brunette's face; she always knew when her Beca was lying. "Oh, my God," she said, crestfallen. "You really don't know who I am."

Rebecca shook her head and looked around. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes again.

"Please, don't cry," the redhead said, grabbing the brunette's arm. "Please. I hate it when you cry."

Rebecca swallowed and nodded her head. The two stood there for a moment before the redhead suddenly said, "I have to get my groceries, and then we'll go inside."

Chloe turned and ran down the hall to grab the bags she had dropped when she saw Beca standing at the door. She hurried back and Beca automatically reached for the bags to help.

"I'm Chloe," the redhead said as she pulled a key out of her pocket and opened the door. "We're, uh, friends. Best friends, and roommates."

Chloe held the door and Rebecca slowly followed her inside. Rebecca looked around and Chloe motioned her over to a small table. Beca put the bag she was carrying on the table and stood there.

"Um, so I live here?" the brunette asked. "All I have to go by is this driver's license that was found in my pocket. I didn't have any keys or money or anything else to say who I was."

Chloe took the license and looked at it. "You hated this license," Chloe said with a sad smile before handing it back to Rebecca. "You argued with the lady at the DMV for half an hour because they wouldn't let you have Beca on your license. That's the name you prefer - Beca."

"Beca," Beca repeated. "I do like the sound of it better than Rebecca. What else can you tell me?"

Chloe motioned for Beca to sit. Beca did and looked at Chloe. Chloe didn't say anything as she unloaded the bags. She had so many questions but didn't know where to start.

Once the groceries were put away, Chloe sat in the chair across from Beca and looked at her as if she was studying her to make sure she was real. She inhaled deeply and let it out. "You've been missing for six months. No one knew what happened to you. We all thought you were-" Chloe stopped and cleared her throat. "What happened, Becs? Where have you been for the past six months."

"I honestly don't know," Beca said. "I have no real memory of anything before two months ago. I woke up in a hospital and all they had was this driver's license where they got my name and where I lived."

Chloe reached across the table to take Beca's hand; she flinched but kept her hand where it was.

"Did they tell you how you ended up in the hospital?" Chloe asked.

"I woke in a hospital in Baltimore, Maryland; I have no idea why I was in Baltimore," Beca said. "Um, they said I was pulled out of an Uber that had been involved in an accident," Beca said. "I was lucky. The driver didn't make it."

"I'm so sorry, Beca," Chloe said.

"I was unconscious when they pulled me out," Beca said, looking down at the table. "I hit my head during the accident and was in a coma for four months. According to the date of birth on my license, I turned twenty-five while I was in a coma. When I did wake up, twenty-five years and two months of my life had been erased. I didn't even recognize my own face when they showed me the license."

Beca wiped at the tears that ran down her face. Chloe got up and moved so she could pull Beca into a hug. This time Beca wrapped her arms around Chloe and cried into her chest. Chloe hugging her made her feel safe; like everything was going to be okay.

Beca finally pulled back from Chloe and looked up at her.

"Do you know why I was in Baltimore six months ago?" Beca asked.

"No, I don't," Chloe said. "The last time I saw you, you said you were going to be gone for a few days; you didn't say where you were going. I was worried when you didn't answer my texts, but didn't think too much of it since you said you'd be gone. I did begin to worry about you after five days of no communication from you."

"They didn' find a phone on me," Beca said. "There was no cash on the driver. My license was in my shirt pocket but nothing else was on me or in the cab. They think someone robbed us the driver after the accident, which explains why I had no money or phone." Beca shook her head and looked disgusted. I mean, who does that? Rob people who are hurt or dying."

"Did they find your laptop?" Chloe asked.

Beca shook her head. "No, I literally had nothing but this license."

Beca looked at the license as if it could provide answers if she stared at her hard enough.

"Do you mind if I call a few people to let them know you're alive?" Chloe asked, wiping at her own tears.

"I don't know," Beca said. "I won't know any of them. I don't want to upset them any further."

"You won't," Chloe said. "They'll be glad to know you're alive. I'll tell them about your amnesia and ask that they respect that you want to take things slow. I'll fill in as many blanks as I can for you. We have been best friends for seven years and we've been through a lot together."

"Okay," Beca said. "Do I, do I have any family? Are they still-? Um, are my parents still alive?"

"Yes," Chloe said, giving Beca a soft smile. "Your mom lives in Portland, Maine. That's where you were born. And your dad lives in Barden, Georgia. They divorced when you were five. You don't have any siblings."

"Can you call them? My parents?" Beca asked. "I, I don't think I can talk to them. Can you just tell them that I'm alive? The doctor said my memory will come back in bits and pieces. He also suggested finding someone who knows me, who can help fill in some of the missing pieces."

"I'll call them for you," Chloe said. "I'll do my best to help fill in the blanks. So, will Amy. She's our other roommate."

"Three of us live here?" Beca asked, looking around again. "Is there more to this apartment?"

"Nope," Chloe said with a chuckle. "This is all of it."

"Wow," Beca said, looking around again. "Three of us live _here_."

"Yep," Chloe said. "Just you, me, and Fat Amy."

" _Fat_ Amy?" Beca asked.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "She's another of your best friends. Although, we're all more like family."

"Why do you call her _Fat_ Amy?" Beca asked.

"She calls herself that," Chloe replied. "So, twig bitches like us don't say it behind her back."

Beca chuckled. "Gotta respect that."

"Are you hungry?" Chloe asked. "I can order something."

"I've been eating hospital food for the past two months, and it wasn't all that pleasant," Beca said. "So, just about anything would be fine with me. Oh, wait. I remember I like pizza."

Chloe smiled. "How about we order pizza? You really love pizza."

"Okay, let's get pizza," Beca said.

Even not remembering anything about Chloe, Beca trusted her. There was something about Chloe that she couldn't put her finger on. She just knew whatever it was, it made her feel safe and not so afraid. She's kind of already hooked on the redhead.

Chloe placed the pizza order and sat back to look at Beca. She looked a little thinner and had dark circles under her eyes.

"You're still not sleeping very well," Chloe stated.

"What?" Beca asked.

"The ever-present dark circles under your eyes give you away," Chloe noted. "You used to stay up late and only get a couple of hours of sleep every night. The only time you slept through the night was when we-." Chloe stopped herself and looked down at the table.

"When we what?" Beca asked.

Chloe cleared her throat and said, "When we cuddled."

"I'm a cuddler?" Beca asked in disbelief.

Chloe let out a laugh and said, "You would never call yourself that, and would deny it at every turn, but, yes, you are."

Beca blushed and looked down. She looked back up at Chloe.

"Can we call my mom now?" Beca asked. "I think I might want to talk to her. But, not a lot. I, I just want to hear what her voice sounds like." Beca let out a sniffle. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize for being human," Chloe said, trying to get her own emotions under control. "Let's call your mom."

Beca nodded and wiped at the tears that fell down her cheek. "Okay."

Chloe pulled out her phone and placed the call.

" _Hello, Chloe_ ," Sarah Mitchell answered. " _Any news_?"

"Hello, Sarah," Chloe said, sniffling.

" _Are you crying_?" Sarah asked, concern in her voice. " _Is everything okay_?"

"Well, um, I have some sorta good news for you," Chloe said, sniffling again.

Chloe proceeded to tell Sarah about Beca showing up on their doorstep. She also told her about the amnesia and the doctor not wanting her to get overloaded with information.

" _How is she, physically_?" Sarah asked through her tears.

"A little skinnier, but she looks good otherwise," Chloe said, smiling at Beca. "She wants to speak to you but just for a moment. We're trying to do things slowly so we don't overwhelm her brain."

" _Okay_ ," Sarah said and took a deep breath and let it out. _"Is she ready to talk to me_?"

Chloe handed Beca the phone. Beca took it and put it up to her ear. "Mom?"

" _Oh, God_ ," Sarah said and started to cry. " _Sorry, sorry. It's just that it's so good to hear your voice, Beca._ "

"I, um, I don't recognize yours," Beca said softly as tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

" _Don't apologize_ ," Sarah said. " _I recognize yours and that's more than alright with me_."

Beca bowed her head and started sobbing. Chloe wiped her tears and took the phone from Beca.

"Sarah?" Chloe said into the receiver. "She's a bit overwhelmed so maybe we should stop for now."

" _Of course_ ," Sarah said. " _Could you tell her I love her? And I'd like to come to New York to see her for myself._ "

"I think that would be great," Chloe said. "Maybe give her a day or two."

" _That sounds fine,_ " Sarah said. " _Does her father know? Does she need me to call him?_ "

"We were going to call him next," Chloe said, while Beca started shaking her head. "Hold on a second, please, Sarah."

Beca looked at Chloe. "I don't think I can talk to my dad right now."

"It's okay, Becs," Chloe said, taking Beca's hand.

" _I heard her, Chloe_ ," Sarah said. " _I'll call him if she wants me to. I think he should know what's going on._ "

"Beca, your mom said she'd call your dad if you want her to," Chloe said.

Beca nodded.

"Sarah, Beca would like for you to call her dad," Chloe said

" _I'll do it right now,_ " Sarah said. " _Thank you, Chloe. I'm glad Beca has you_."

"I'll talk to you later, Sarah," Chloe said and ended the call.

**~ AMNESIA ~**

"Oh, my God!" Beca said after her third slice of pizza. "How could I forget how great pizza tastes. This stuff is awesome."

Chloe chuckled as she watched Beca reach for another slice. "Told you you didn't just _like_ pizza."

Beca took a bite of her slice and chewed it thoughtfully. She swallowed and drank some water, and then looked at Chloe as if examining her.

"How do I not remember you?" Beca asked in wonderment. "Everything about you so far has been-." Beca stopped and blushed. Beca looked at Chloe with her brows furrowed as if she wanted to remember something about Chloe but it was just beyond her reach. "I'm sorry. Um, did we. I feel strong feelings about you. Were we more than friends?"

Chloe's mouth opened and closed a couple of times. Suddenly, they heard keys in the door and saw the apartment door fly open. Then several things happened at once.

"Thank God," Chloe muttered.

"Red, I smell piz-" Amy stopped mid-sentence as soon as she saw Beca.

Beca jumped up and scurried backward until her back was to the counter.

"Beca!" Amy yelled and made a move to go to Beca. Beca stood with a deer in the headlights look, looking from Chloe to Amy and back again. Chloe jumped up to intercept Amy before she got to Beca.

"Move, Red," Amy said. "Beca's back!"

"I know, Amy," Chloe said, using everything she had to hold Amy back. "I know. Now stop and sit!"

Amy looked at Beca and her reaction to Amy running in as she did. She looked at Chloe who was silently imploring her to sit down.

"I'll explain everything, okay?" Chloe said, and Amy nodded her head and sat down.

As soon as Amy was sitting, Chloe turned to Beca.

"It's okay, Becs," Chloe said as she took a small step toward Beca. "This is Fat Amy. You know her. She's one of your best friends."

Beca swallowed and nodded. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Chloe said. "Amy is a force of nature. She'd scare anyone the way she enters a room."

"You know that, Beca," Amy said, grabbing a slice of pizza. "I haven't changed."

"Amy, please, hush," Chloe said. "Please come sit back down, Beca. Amy will stay seated while I tell her what happened. Okay?"

"Right, okay," Beca said and sat down across from Amy.

Chloe sat and told Amy everything she knew about Beca's absence. Amy's eyes widened and her mouth opened to say something and snapped shut again.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "She's a bit overwhelmed right now so we have to try and not overload her with too much. And, no offense, Amy, you tend to be too much."

"But," Amy started and stopped when Chloe raised an eyebrow at her. "Fine. I'll follow your lead"

"Thank you," Chloe said. She ran a hand through her hair. She put her elbow on the table and held her head while looking at Beca. "Did you want to ask us any questions?"

Beca shook her head and looked nervously down at the table. She jumped slightly when Chloe took her hand. She looked up at Chloe.

"Hey, it's okay," Chloe said. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"Thanks," Beca said and seemed to relax a bit.

"Do any of the other Bellas know?" Amy asked.

"Bellas?" Beca asked.

"A singing group we belong to," Chloe explained.

"You sing?" Beca asked.

"We all do," Amy said. "Including you."

"I sing, too?" Beca asked.

"Yes, you do," Chloe said. "And very well. You were the Captain of the Bellas for three years. You led us to win two National Championships and also the World Championships."

"Wow," Beca said. She thought for a minute. "I don't remember any songs. Except for one I heard on the radio at the hospital. I really liked it. Do you know this song?"

Beca began to sing; she started off a little hesitant but got into and really nailed the chorus.

 _There's something in the way I wanna cry_  
That makes me think we'll make it out alive  
So come on and show me how we're good  
I think that we could do some good, mhm

 _Walk me home in the dead of night_  
I can't be alone with all that's on my mind, mhm  
So say you'll stay with me tonight  
'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside

_Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh  
Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh_

Chloe's smile was from ear to ear. "That's _Walk Me Home_ by P!nk. She was always one of your favorite singers."

"Yeah?" Beca said, smiling. "I really like that song."

"You sounded really good, Becs," Chloe said.

"Thanks," Beca said shyly as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"How come the doctors let you leave the hospital if you can't remember anything?" Amy asked.

"Amy!"

"No, it's a fair question," Beca said. "Physically I was fine. I spent two months in physical therapy to help strengthen my muscles since I had been laying in a bed for four months. It was weird, still is, but I could talk, walk, think, do all the normal things, but I have absolutely no memory of my own life. I knew how to drive, I knew how to brush my teeth, dress myself; at some point in my life, I had to have learned all that. So, why don't I remember ever learning any of it?"

"I guess some things are inherent," Chloe said. "Even without the amnesia, you probably wouldn't remember when you learned to brush your teeth."

"Maybe," Beca said. "It's funny, but I keep finding out things about myself every day."

"Like what?" Chloe asked.

"Well," Beca said. "In the hospital, I found out I hated green jello. and today I found out that I sang in a group that won championships, I absolutely love pizza, and, that, um, I have one of the most amazing friends in the world."

A tear came to Chloe's eye as she smiled at Beca.

"Ahem," Amy said, getting Beca's attention.

"Sorry," Beca said with a laugh. " _Two_ of the most amazing friends."

"Better," Amy said. "But, we're not the only ones. The Bellas are a family and you are a part of that. Wait until they find out you're back home."

"Home," Beca repeated. "Yeah, this does feel like home. I'm glad I made the doctors let me leave."

"Wait," Chloe said. "The doctors didn't want you to leave?"

"Not yet," Beca said with a shrug. "They wanted to continue to try and find my family. They hadn't had any luck up to that point since I couldn't tell them anything. God, I just realized I didn't even know my mother's name until you said it when you called her."

"Do the doctors know if you'll get your memory back?" Amy asked.

"They said the chances are really good," Beca said. "They think something will spark a memory which will, in turn, bring back other memories. I may have some small gaps but I should recover most of my memory."

"So, we should tell you stuff to help spark a memory," Amy said matter-of-factly.

"No," Chloe said. "The doctor said she shouldn't overload her senses. It could do more harm than good."

"They said there's a slim chance of any real harm," Beca said. "I really want to remember everything. You two know me. You know a lot about me. Right? So, tell me some stuff about me. Let's see if we can spark a memory."

"I don't know, Becs," Chloe said, chewing on her lower lip.

"Let's start with something easy," Beca said. "Why do you call me Becs?"

"I, um, I don't know," Chloe said. "I've kind of always called you that."

"When did you start calling me that?" Beca said.

"I, uh," Chloe said, her brow furrowed in concentration. "I think you were still a Freshmen, but I don't know exactly when I started doing that."

"I do," Amy said and snickered.

"You do?" Beca said. "Tell me."

"Well, it was the end of our Freshman year and the Bellas were throwing a party," Amy said.

"Oh, God," Chloe said. "Let me guess. I was drunk."

"Yep," Amy said. "Anyway, Chloe was drunk and you guys were talking and she called you 'Bec' and laughed, saying something about how she saw three of you. She got this look as if she had discovered the next big thing, and said, _That means there's Bec, Bec, and Bec._ She frowned and then said, _That's too much words. I'll just call you Becs._ "

"That's it?" Chloe asked and Amy nodded. "I really don't remember that. It's just a nickname. I can stop calling you that if you want."

"It's okay, I like it," Beca said. "Do I have a nickname for you guys?"

"You call me Chlo," Chloe said.

"You call me Amy, Fat Amy, and Ames," Amy said.

"Huh," Beca said. "None of them ring a bell." Beca got quiet and stared down at her hands. She was twisting a thumb ring and chewing on her lower lip.

"Becs, you okay?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Beca said and looked up at her. "I just want to thank you. I came here not remembering anything about you and you let me in and comforted me. It really means a lot to me. So, thank you."

"Oh, Beca," Chloe said and reached to hug the girl. She pulled back at the last second, unsure if Beca would welcome the hug.

"Bring it here, Beale," Beca said, opening her arms.

Chloe gasped and sat back.

"What?" Beca asked.

"You just called me Beale," Chloe said.

"So," Beca said.

"So, I didn't tell you my last name," Chloe said. "And we used to call each other by last name all the time."

"How did I remember that?" Beca asked in wonderment. "Wait! Did I have a girlfriend? Someone who was German?"

Amy snorted and looked away at Chloe's glare. "No."

"But you did have some kind of fascination with her," Amy said, trying to hide her smile.

"Oh, God," Beca said. "Did I call her a goddess and say her sweat smells like cinnamon?"

Amy and Chloe both looked at Beca wide-eyed.

"You did," Amy said. "She was the leader of DSM the group who had won the World A Capella Championship and took our victory tour from us."

"Why would I say those things to her when I was in love with Chloe?" Beca asked, missing Chloe's look of confusion.

"What?" Chloe asked. "Beca what are you remembering?"

"I, I," Beca stammered. "I remember singing with a bunch of girls. We were wearing these uniforms that I kind of hated. Oh, God! I also remember that I, uh-."

"You what?" Amy asked.

"I remember that, um, I never told Chloe that I was in love with her." She looked at the shocked face of Chloe. "And that I was probably never going to because I didn't want to mess up our friendship."

Amy back with a satisfied grin on her face. "About damned time, short stuff," she said.

"I'm sorry, Chloe," Beca said, looking at the shocked redhead. "I, um, I shouldn't have said anything. I just, I just, I-"

"It's okay, Beca," Chloe said, holding back her tears. "Can you remember anything else? Do you remember any of the Bellas? Or, um, Jesse?"

"I remember Aubrey," Beca said. "She and I clashed a lot when I first joined, but now. Now, she's a friend?"

"That's right," Chloe said. "Go on."

"Um, Stacie," Beca said. "And CR, Ashley, Jessica, and Lily. And then we added Emily. I wrote a song with her."

"Yes, that's right," Chloe said, excitedly.

"Jesse," Beca said and snorted. "I kissed him after a show because it was what I thought I was supposed to do. I feel bad that we stayed together for so long, especially when I-." Beca blushed and looked away. "When I had feelings for someone else," she finished softly.

Chloe cleared her throat and said, "You've been through a lot. Maybe you should get some rest."

"What are you talking about, Red?" Amy asked. "Beca finally said what we've all been waiting for her to say. We have to let it play out."

"Amy, don't," Chloe said.

"Chloe's right," Beca said. "I don't remember anything else and I'm getting a headache. There are still way too many holes in my memory. Maybe we should get some rest and continue this in the morning. I'll come by around nine or ten if that works for you. The doctors and nurses took up a collection so I have some money."

"Wait, what?" Chloe asked, looking at Beca. "What do you mean you'll come by? Aren't you staying here? You do live here, Beca. It makes sense that you would stay here."

"Yeah, Beca," Amy said. "We kept everything of yours the way you left it."

"I didn't want to be a bother," Beca said.

"Beca," Chloe admonished. "You will hurt my and Amy's feelings if you don't stay."

"Um, okay," Beca said. She stood from the table and walked over to the dresser. She opened the drawer and pulled out shorts and a tank top. She stopped when she realized what she had done. "These are mine, right?"

"Yes," Chloe said. "Those are yours.

"And, uh, we share a bed, right?" Beca asked, and at Chloe's nod, she asked, "Is there maybe someplace else I can sleep? I'm, uh, I don't sleep very well and I don't want to keep you awake."

"Remember what I told you?" Chloe said. "You always sleep through the night when we cuddle."

"I've got so much going on inside my head," Beca said. "I don't think I'm going to sleep."

"Let's just try it, okay?" Chloe said. "It will be fine. I promise."

"Okay," Beca said. "I'm going to go into the bathroom. To, uh, change and brush my teeth."

Beca came out of the bathroom and Chloe went in. Beca noticed the bed had been pulled out and looked at it. She was feeling so many feelings that she was fidgeting, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Calm down, Beca," Amy said, watching her. "While Red's in the bathroom, did you want to ask me anything?"

Beca sat on the edge of the pullout bed, facing Amy. "I'm remembering things like a photo album. Bits and pieces here and there. Did Chloe and I ever have a thing? I mean, I see snippets of us laughing, having dinner, even laying in bed together. Did it end badly? Is that why Chloe doesn't want to talk about it?"

Amy smiled and said, "You have always been best friends. Those snippets you're seeing happened, but just as friends. Although, we all thought you two were going to get together. We could see that Chloe loved you and you loved Chloe, but you two couldn't see it. I think Chloe doesn't want to talk about it because it hurts to know that you two were never more than friends."

"How could I be so oblivious to someone like Chloe loving me?" Beca asked.

"That's the million-dollar question," Amy said. "One we have all asked ourselves many, many times."

"What do I do?" Beca asked. "I didn't even know who she was when I saw her today. And now, I think I'm in love with her."

"Get some rest," Amy said. "Maybe more of your memories will come back."

"You're right," Beca said and wiped a tear from her face. "I can't believe how much I've cried today."

Chloe heard what Beca said as she came out of the bathroom. "You hate crying. And, you especially hate for anyone to see you cry."

"I sound like a badass," Beca said with a laugh. "Or someone who thinks she is."

Amy laughed. "That's you."

**~ AMNESIA ~**

Chloe finally had enough of Beca tossing and turning, and grabbed her by the arm to still her. Beca looked at her and could barely make out her face in the dimly lit apartment.

"Just let me cuddle you," Chloe said. "It's the only way either one of us is going to get any sleep."

Beca sighed and turned her back to Chloe. She moved so her back was barely touching Chloe's front. Chloe put an arm around Beca's waist and settled in behind her. Beca laid there, rigid. She wasn't sure this was a good idea.

Chloe shifted a bit and Beca did as well. It only took a minute for Beca to relax in Chloe's arms.

"That's better," Chloe said. "Goodnight, Becs."

"Goodnight, Chlo," Beca said.

Beca slept for several uninterrupted hours. She woke and froze in the same instant. She looked down at the arm wrapped around her and gently looked over her shoulder so as not to wake the owner of said arm.

Beca breathed out a short sigh of relief when she recognized and remembered Chloe. She eased her way out of Chloe's arms and walked over to sit at the table. She stared at Chloe lying on the bed, her face serene in her slumber.

" _I can't remember anything else about her,_ " Beca thought. " _But, I feel like what Amy said is true. We've been something more than friends for a while, but we never had the courage to tell the other._ "

Beca smiled when she came up with an idea. She found a pair of, what she hoped were her, ripped skinny jeans and a plain black tee. She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and change. Once she was done she made sure Chloe and Amy were still asleep before slipping quietly out of the apartment.

Beca returned to the apartment about two hours later. She checked everything she was carrying and knocked on the door.

Chloe opened the door immediately and Beca could see she had been crying. She also noticed Amy wasn't in the apartment.

"Chloe, what's wrong?" Beca asked as she reached for the redhead.

"No," Chloe said and backed away from Beca. "You don't get to show up here after you've been missing for six months and then just leave in the middle of the night without a word."

"I'm sorry, Chloe," Beca said as she closed the door behind her. "I wasn't thinking. I needed to get a few things and it took longer than I thought it would because I had no idea where anything was."

"You could have left a note," Chloe said and sniffled.

"You're right, and am truly sorry for that," Beca said.

Beca held up a bag and said she had something for her. Beca reached into the bag and pulled out a dark pink rose.

"You remember I love roses?" Chloe asked.

"Uh, no, I'm sorry, I didn't remember that," Beca said, blushing slightly. "I haven't remembered anything new since last night."

"Oh," Chloe said.

"I couldn't find the right words so I decided to say what I'm feeling with flowers," Beca said and pulled out a sheet of paper. "The florist wrote down each of their their meanings for me." She took a deep breath and read, "The dark pink rose stands for appreciation and gratitude. I appreciate that you've agreed to help me try to get my memory back. And I want to thank you for that."

She handed Chloe the dark pink rose and looked down at the card again. She reached in the bag and pulled out a yellow rose. "The yellow stands for joy, delight, friendship, welcome back, and new beginnings. To me, it's a sign of how happy I am that I have you in my life, and that I am in yours. I also hope it's a sign of a new beginning for us."

Beca handed the yellow rose to Chloe, and reached into the bag to pull out a yellow rose with a red tip. She read from the card again.

"The one stands for friendship and, um, falling in love. Because even though I don't remember a lot about you, I do know that I love you. And not just as a friend."

Beca held the yellow rose with the red tip out for Chloe to take.

"Beca," Chloe said but didn't take the rose.

"Please? Take it," Beca said. "If you love me like I think you do, please take it."

"Becs," Chloe said as tears streamed down her face; she did not take the rose.

Beca pulled the rose back and pushed on, reaching in the bag and pulling out a lavender rose.

"The lavender is for love at first sight. Which is exactly what I believe happened when we met seven years ago, and I _know_ that it happened to me yesterday. I didn't know you when you grabbed me in a hug, but I felt something familiar. And then when you hugged me again, I felt like I was home. That I was where I was supposed to be."

Chloe stood looking at Beca with tears in her eyes. Beca wiped them away with the pad of her thumb. She held the yellow rose with the red tip and the lavender rose up for Chloe.

"I love you, Chloe," Beca whispered. "And I want to date you. I want to fall in love with you all over again. Take you to your favorite places. Make you smile because I swear your smile could end wars. I'm already lost in your gorgeous blue eyes and never want to find my way out of them. Chloe Beale, would you please go on a date with me?"

Chloe looked at the final two roses, and then looked up at the hopeful and expectant look on Beca's face. She smiled as she reached for and took the last two roses.

Beca's smile lit up her face. "Is that a yes to dating me?"

"Yes," Chloe said, causing Beca to grab her around her waist and twirl her around.

Beca stopped twirling and suddenly put Chloe down and kissed her. Beca quickly pulled back. "I'm sorry, I guess I got a little carried away."

"It's okay," Chloe said and pulled Beca into another kiss.

Beca returned the kiss. The kiss ended and Beca pulled Chloe to her in a tight hug. She sighed, content for the first time in two months.

As Beca held Chloe to her, she thought that although she may not remember her past, and may only remember parts of it, one thing she did know was that her future was looking bright, and that was all due to the redhead she was holding in her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the late posting, but I went out of town yesterday morning and didn't return until earlier this evening. I had to do one final run-through before it was ready for posting.


	7. TRUTH OR DARE

It started out as a relatively quiet night in the Bellas house. Dinner had been cooked and eaten. The dishes had been cleared from the table and washed. Now it was Bellas bonding time.

"Okay, ladies," Stacie called out. "It's the night before graduation and we are going to party!"

"Oh, God," Beca said. "Why?"

"Come on, Becs," Chloe said. "This will be our last chance to party together for a while. We graduate tomorrow and leave for Copenhagen two days later. And who knows when we'll be able to get together after that."

"Fine," Beca said. "But, Amy does not get to play bartender. We have to be in line by nine tomorrow morning and I am not going to be responsible for getting your hungover asses over to the field."

"Agreed," Chloe said.

"Not agreed," Amy said. "It wouldn't be a Bellas party without my famous surprise punch."

"No, absolutely not," Beca said, shaking her head. "As Bellas Captain, I am putting my foot down and declaring this a no surprise punch party. We can have beer and wine. That's it."

"I have to agree with Beca on this," Chloe said.

"No surprise there," Amy mumbled.

"What was that, Amy?" Chloe asked, giving Amy the squinted eye glare that she knows Amy hates.

"Nothing," Amy said. "Beer and wine are great."

"Good," Chloe said.

"We can live with that," Emily said. "Ashley, you and Jessica will get the beer and wine. Stacie, you and CR are in charge of the snacks. The rest of us can help get the house ready."

"Way to delegate, Emily," Beca said, clearly impressed. "You did that like a true Bellas Captain. Alright, you nerds, you heard Emily, so let's do this. AND DO NOT INVITE ANYONE WHO ISN'T A BELLA TO THE PARTY, AMY!"

"Why are you yelling at just me?" Amy asked. Beca just looked at her. "Fine, I won't invite anyone else to the party."

"Okay," Beca said. "You have your marching orders. Get to it."

The girls jumped up and went about their tasks for the party.

**~ TRUTH OR DARE ~**

The girls returned from their various tasks. Chloe helped Stacie and CR put the snacks in bowls and on plates. Jessica and Ashely put the beer on ice and opened a couple of bottles of wine. Beca, Emily, Lily, and Amy had rearranged the furniture to make space for everyone to sit together on the floor.

"Looks like we're ready to go," Chloe said as she set down the last bowl of chips.

"Okay everyone, go grab a drink and meet back in the living room," Stacie said.

"I'll get a playlist started," Beca said and connected her laptop to the speaker system.

The girls got their drinks and met in the living room, finding someplace to sit. The music started and the girls cheered when P!nk's " _Get The Party Started_ " came from the speakers. Beca bopped her head to the music and went to sit by Chloe.

"It's our last party as College Students," Stacie said. "We need to do something that we will always remember."

"Let's play a game," Jessica shouted.

"I'm not drunk enough to play any games," Beca whined.

"But, it will be fun," Ashley said.

"What game are you thinking, Jess?" Chloe asked.

"Strip Charades," CR yelled.

"NO," Beca yelled, causing everyone to laugh. She mumbled, "How the Hell would you play that anyway?"

"Well, first you-" Beca threw a hand over Chloe's mouth.

"I really don't want to know, Chlo," Beca said. "It was a rhetorical question."

"Twenty questions?" Emily asked.

"Too many people," Ashley said. "It will take forever."

"Truth or Dare?" Stacie suggested.

"Yesssss!" most of the Bellas cheer.

"Noooooo!" Beca yelled.

"Come on, Becs," Chloe said. "We haven't played Truth or Dare in a while. It could be fun."

"If that's what you're going with," Beca said and stood. "I'm out."

"Why?" Stacie asked.

"Because I've already kissed all of you at least once because of a stupid dare," Beca said. "And I've seen and done enough nude body shots to last more than a lifetime."

"But, that's what makes it fun," Stacie said. "And you're welcome. I'm pretty sure you more than enjoyed doing body shots off Chloe."

Chloe giggled. "I know I did."

"If you guys insist on playing Truth or Dare, I'm out," Beca said and started for the stairs.

"What's with you, Beca?" CR asked. "You don't usually get this way until you've had a few drinks in you. What gives?"

"Fine," Beca said as her shoulders slumped. "I'm seeing someone and don't want to cheat on them because of some stupid dare that everyone says I need to do just because 'those are the rules' of the game."

The room grew silent as the girls stared at Beca.

"Who is it?" Emily asked, blushing when everyone turned to look at her.

"Beca, it's not cheating," Stacie said. "It's a game."

"Yeah, well, I'm not messing up this relationship by kissing or doing anything else with someone who isn't-." Beca stopped and pressed her lips together, shaking her head.

"Who isn't who?" Lily asked

"No, no, no," Beca said. "I'm not telling you. We have to focus on Worlds not on who I'm dating. This is the reason I haven't said anything. I don't want my relationship interfering with us doing well at Worlds."

"Come on, Chloe," Stacie said, looking at the redhead. "Spill it. You know everything there is to know about Beca. Who is she seeing? Who is Beca's secret lovah?"

"Don't call her that," Beca mumbled.

"Sorry, girls," Chloe said, sipping her beer. "I can't tell you. I made a promise."

"This isn't fair," Amy said. "Chloe knows, why can't we. We're all family. You can tell us."

"No, I can't," Chloe said. "I made a promise and I'm not going to break it. She's my best friend and a promise to a best friend trumps everyone's need to know."

"Thanks, Chlo," Beca said and started for the stairs. "I'll be in my room."

"Don't go, Beca," Jessica said. "How about we institute a rule that says no one can dare you to kiss anyone or do body shots off of anyone? Will you stay if we all promise to abide by these new rules?"

"Only if you add that, if I choose truth, no one can ask me who I'm in a relationship with," Beca said. Seeing Amy's devilish grin caused Beca to add, "And you can't ask Chloe either."

"No fair," Amy whined.

"I'm okay with that," Jessica said.

"Me, too," Ashley said.

"I agree," Chloe said.

"Me, too," Emily said.

"I don't," Amy said.

"Then I'm out," Beca said. "Goodnight and try not to wreck the place."

Beca again started for the stairs.

"Beca, wait!" Stacie said; she turned to Amy. "Come on, Amy. Agree so Beca will stay. It won't be the same without her. There are plenty of others who we can make kiss someone. Plus, there are other ways to embarrass her."

All eyes are on Amy and she squirms a bit before saying, "Fine. I'll agree."

Everyone else agreed and Beca looked at them skeptically.

"Do you all promise?" Beca asked looking around the room. "Because you know how I feel about breaking a promise."

"We know," Ashley said. "And we all promise. Right girls?"

Everyone agreed and Beca took them at their word. The girls sat in a circle and Amy put a bottle in the middle.

"Whoa," Beca said. "I thought we were playing Truth or Dare, not Spin the Bottle."

"We're going to use the bottle to determine who's turn it is," Amy said. "I'll spin and whoever it lands on I get to ask if they want Truth or Dare. After their turn is done, they spin the bottle, and so on."

"Oh, okay," Beca said and relaxed.

Amy spun the bottle and it landed on Stacie. Beca snickered. "Good luck finding something Stacie hasn't done yet."

Chloe slapped her arm and said, "Be nice, Becs."

"Truth or Dare, Stacie," Amy said.

Stacie smiled and blew Beca a kiss. "Dare. Hit me with your best shot, Amy."

"Okay," Amy said. "Ummmmmm, I dare you to call Aubrey and tell her that you have a toner for her and want to take her out. Oh, and you have to put it on speaker so we can hear it."

"Okay," Stacie said and pulled out her phone. She pulled up Aubrey's contact and hit send.

" _Hey, Stacie,_ " Aubrey answered. " _What's up_?"

"I just wanted to call to tell you that I have a serious toner for you," Stacie said, somewhat seductively. "And I want to take you out. Are you busy Friday night?"

" _Um, Stacie, what are you doing_?" Aubrey asked. " _We've-_ "

"Sorry, Brey, you're on speaker and we're playing Truth or Dare," Stacie cut in quickly. "Amy dared me to call you and ask you out."

" _Oh_ ," Aubrey said. " _Okay then, yes, I'll go out with you._ "

"Great," Stacie said. She then grinned and asked, "Meet at the usual spot?"

"What?!" Amy yelled. "Come on. Is everyone in this group hooking up?"

Aubrey's laugh could be heard over the phone. " _We've been dating for about six months, Amy. I honestly thought you all knew._ "

"I didn't tell them," Stacie said with a smirk. "A girls' gotta have some secrets."

"Hang up, Legs," Amy said. "It's your turn to spin the bottle."

" _Spin the bottle_?" Aubrey asked. " _I thought you were playing Truth or Dare_."

"We're spinning the bottle to see who's next on the Truth or Dare hot seat," Chloe explained.

"Brey, do you have a problem with us playing Spin the Bottle?" Stacie asked.

" _Kind of_ ," Aubrey said. " _I mean I really don't want you kissing anyone else even if it is a Bella sister._ "

"We've played before and you never said anything," Stacie said, waving her hand dismissively at Beca who sat across from Stacie with a WTF look on her face.

" _I wasn't in a relationship before_ ," Aubrey said. " _It kind of feels like cheating now_."

"Thank you!" Beca yelled. "See, I'm not the only one who feels that it's wrong to kiss someone else when you're in a relationship, even if it is because you're playing Truth or Dare."

"I didn't know you felt that way, Brey," Stacie said. "Okay, Amy, we have to amend the new rules we made for Beca to include me."

"What? No!" Amy said.

" _Amy_ ," Aubrey said.

"Fine," Amy muttered. "You guys are taking all the fun out of the game."

"There are plenty of things we can do that don't involve kissing someone," Beca said. "Or seeing someone naked."

" _She's right_ ," Aubrey said.

"You know, maybe you should add me to the new rules list," Jessica said. "I never thought of it this way before, but I get it. I don't want to kiss anyway who isn't my girlfriend either."

"Me, either," Ashley said, smiling at Jessica. "It wouldn't feel right."

Jessica smiled back at her and linked their hands.

"Aww," Chloe said. "Count me in that group, too."

"Wait," Beca said. "I said the exact same thing Aubrey did and no one listened. Now everyone's jumping on the bandwagon. Unbelievable!"

" _Hush, Beca,_ " Aubrey said. " _Chloe, you're in a relationship? How do I not know about this? Stacie, hang up and Chloe you call me right now._ "

"Shit," Chloe muttered. "Fine, Brey. I'll call you once I'm in my room."

Stacie ends the call and everyone looks at Chloe.

"Nope, not telling," Chloe said and rushed upstairs before anyone could say anything.

Once Chloe was gone, everyone turned to look at Beca.

"Nope, no, uh-uh," Beca said, shaking her head. "I'm not telling either. I promised Chloe."

"You guys are getting on my nerves," Amy said. "I'm going to go get a smoothie."

"Tell Bumper we said hi," Beca said, laughing.

Everyone bit their lips to keep from laughing as Amy got up and grabbed her stuff. Amy flipped them off and the girls couldn't hold back their laughter anymore. They settled down and looked around.

"So, what now?" Emily asked.

"Why don't we talk?" Beca said. "I really haven't talked to you nerds about anything except graduation and Worlds lately. What are everyone's plans once Worlds are over?"

"Why don't you start," Stacie said. "What's in store for Beca Effin' Mitchell after graduation and winning Worlds?"

"Well," Beca said. "My internship at Residual Heat led to me getting a bona fide offer from a studio in New York to come on board as an Assistant Producer."

"Beca!" Stacie yelled and ran over to hug the girl. "That's great. I'm so proud and happy for you."

"Thanks," Beca said smiling.

"Is that why you and Jesse broke up?" Ashley asked. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"It's okay," Beca said. "No, it isn't why. Jesse and I broke up over Winter Break. We weren't working and I started having feelings for someone else, so we decided to break up but remain friends. The only reason you guys didn't know until after Spring Break is because I didn't think it was that big of a deal. Then, when Lily saw him with a new girl and told me about it, I had to tell you so you guys wouldn't string him up for cheating on me. Plus, I was already dating someone else at that point."

"So, you're with someone else, too," Jessica said. "That's a plus."

"Yeah, it definitely is," Beca said with a smile.

"What about this new person?" Ashley asked. "What's going to happen between you two? Are you calling it quits when you go to New York."

"Um, well, I kind of already asked her to go with me," Beca said, blushing and looking down at her hands. "And, she said yes."

"Her?" Stacie asked. "Way to go, Beca." Stacie let out a cheer.

"Enough about me," Beca said, laughing. "How about you Jessica? What are your plans?"

"Ashley and I are moving to my hometown and taking over my mom's bakery," Jessica said. "We both love to bake and my mom has been talking about retiring. She and my dad want to travel while they're still young enough to enjoy it."

"I'm really looking forward to it," Ashley said. "We've got some new recipes we want to try. After we get established and become more familiar with running the business, we may expand to include bigger things like wedding cakes."

"I'd buy one," Beca said. "You guys make some of the best desserts ever."

"She's not wrong about that," Emily said. "Ooo, are you guys make something for tomorrow?"

"Maybe," Jessica said with a sly smile.

"Yes," Emily exclaimed.

"What are your plans, CR?" Beca asked.

"Well, it's like I said at the retreat," CR said. "I'm getting married over the summer and Denise and I are planning on settling in Maine. I'm not sure what I'll be doing yet, but Denise has a good job and already has a place, so I'll figure something out once I get up there."

"You'll find something," Emily said. "Hopefully there are music opportunities for you to explore. You have a great voice and shouldn't waste it."

"Hear, hear," Beca said, raising her glass toward CR.

"Thanks," CR said. "That means a lot to me."

"What about you, Stacie?" Beca asked. "What's Barden's secret brainiac going to do after graduation?"

"I'll be moving to Atlanta," Stacie said. "I got a research grant to work with Professor Stanfield as part of her new research team. She said it will be for at least a year, but with any luck, it could be longer."

"Wow, Stacie," Jessica said. "That sounds amazing."

Chloe came back downstairs and Beca gave her a look. Chloe shrugged and said, "What did I miss?"

They filled Chloe in on everything said so far. "Stacie, that sounds phenomenal."

"I'm really excited about it," Stacie said.

"It doesn't hurt that you'll only be an hour away from Aubrey," Beca said with a grin.

"No, it doesn't," Stacie said and winked at Beca. "So, Chloe, what are your plans? What's Big Red going to do now that she's finally graduating?"

"I'm moving to New York," Chloe said. "I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do, but I'd like to pursue a Teaching Degree. There are quite a few really good schools in New York. I'm a little nervous about it, but also excited."

"What about your new beau?" Emily asked. "Are you guys breaking up?"

"Oh, um," Chloe said. "We're going to go to New York together."

"Whoever it is would be an idiot to let you get away," CR said with a wink.

"Thanks, CR," Chloe said. "Um, Beca, can I talk to you for a second. Brey asked me something about Worlds and I need to run it by you."

"Sure," Beca said and followed Chloe into the kitchen.

**~ TRUTH OR DARE ~**

"You told Aubrey?" Beca asked, somewhat shocked. "I thought we promised we wouldn't tell anyone until after Worlds."

"We did, I did," Chloe said. "But you know how persuasive Brey can be. I had to tell her."

"Had to?" Beca said. "You know if Aubrey knows, Stacie will know soon. And then everyone else will know. They'll lose focus and we could lose Worlds and the Bellas will be disbanded. You've been fighting all year to keep the Bellas together. You only had to wait a few more days."

"I'm sorry," Chloe said. "Are you mad?"

"Well, you did break a promise, Chlo," Beca said. "And you know how I feel about that."

Chloe put her arms around Beca's neck and kissed her jaw. "How about now?"

"I'm your also your best friend," Beca said, putting her hands on Chloe's waist and pulling her closer. "And you did say a promise to a best friend trumps everyone's need to know."

Chloe kissed Beca's cheek. "I also promised Aubrey that we wouldn't keep secrets from each other."

"Well, since you've known her longer," Beca said and kissed Chloe's neck, causing an appreciative hum to escape. "I'll have to forgive this little transgression."

"Good," Chloe said and captured Beca's lips with hers.

Beca pulled back and looked toward the kitchen door to make sure no one was watching.

"Maybe we should go ahead and tell the Bellas," Beca said. "I know you said we should wait-"

"Let's do it," Chloe said, causing Beca to smile.

"Really?" Beca asked. "How should we do it."

"Let's play Truth or Dare," Chloe said with a gleam in her eye.

"Oh, God," Beca said and laid her head on Chloe's shoulder.

**~ TRUTH OR DARE ~**

"Come on, Becs," Chloe said as they walked into the living room. "Let's continue the game."

"Do we have to?" Beca whined.

"What's Beca whining about now?" Stacie asked.

"Rude," Beca said as she sat cross-legged on the floor.

"I want to continue our Truth or Dare game," Chloe said as she sat down next to Beca.

"I'm in if we keep the same rules," Jessica said.

"Me, too," Ashley said.

The rest of the girls agreed. "I believe it's your turn to spin the bottle, Stacie," Chloe said.

"Okay," Stacie said and grabbed the bottle. The spin landed on Ashley.

"Truth or Dare, Ashley?" Stacie asked.

"Truth," Ashley said.

"This is a pretty standard question, but I don't remember anyone ever asking you," Stacie said. "When did you lose your virginity?"

"Oh, God," Ashley said, blushing. "I was seventeen. It was after Senior Prom."

"Cliche much?" CR asked with a laugh.

"I know, I know," Ashley said, chuckling. "I only did it because I was tired of being the only virgin in my class. Plus, I didn't want to be a virgin in college."

"What's wrong with that?" Emily asked, blushing again when everyone looked at her.

"There's nothing wrong with it, Emily," Beca said. "Don't let anyone tell you any different."

"She's right, Em," Stacie said. "You do it when you're ready to do it. Don't let anyone talk you into something you are not ready for."

"Thanks," Emily said, her cheeks bright red.

"Okay, Ashley, your turn to spin," Chloe said.

Ashley spun and the bottle fell on Chloe.

"Truth or Dare, Chloe?" Ashley asked.

Chloe looked around the room and bit her lip. "Truth."

"Okay," Ashley said. "Um, how long have you and your new love interest been dating?"

"Four months," Chloe responded.

"Four months?" CR said. "And you're talking about moving to New York together? That's kind of fast, isn't it?"

"Maybe," Chloe said with a shrug. "But, I know she's the one for me. When you know, you know. My turn to spin."

Chloe gave a flick of her wrist and the bottle landed on Beca. Chloe had a big smile on her face.

Before Chloe could ask if Beca wanted Truth or Dare, Beca let out a sigh and said, "I'll take the dare."

"Ooo, someone's feeling cocky," Stacie said, causing everyone to laugh.

"Okay, Becs," Chloe said. "You ready?"

"Go for it," Beca said.

"I dare you to kiss me," Chloe said.

"Whoa, wait a minute, Chloe," Jessica said. "We promised we wouldn't ask Beca to kiss anyone out of respect for her new girlfriend."

"I know," Chloe said.

"That rule was so you nerds wouldn't dare me kiss someone who wasn't Chloe," Beca said. "My _girlfriend_ can ask me to kiss her anytime she wants."

Chloe giggled at the shocked looks on everyone's face as she leaned in to accept Beca's kiss.

"You, bitches," Stacie exclaimed, causing Beca and Chloe to pull apart. "You've been together for four months? How did we not figure this out?"

"We really did want everyone to stay focused on Worlds," Beca said, taking Chloe's hand. "But, since Aubrey found out tonight we knew it wouldn't be long before Stacie found out."

"And, we also know Stacie would have told someone, until everyone knew," Chloe said. "And we wanted to be the ones to tell you."

"I wouldn't have told anyone," Stacie said. Beca and Chloe looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Okay, fine I would have probably told Amy. And we all know she would have told everyone else."

"I'm happy for you, two," Emily said.

"Thanks, Em," Beca said.

Beca stood and held out her hand to Chloe. Chloe took it and let Beca lead her towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Lily asked.

"It's late and we have to be up early for graduation tomorrow," Beca said. "I'm taking my girlfriend to bed."

"Get it, girls!" Ashley said.

"Yeah, Beca," Stacie said, laughing. "As Amy would say, _bow-chica-bow-wow_!".

"Not for that reason!" Beca said, blushing.

"It's not? Chloe asked.

"Oh, God," Beca said and hurried up the stairs with Chloe, leaving the sound of the Bellas laughter in their wake.


	8. SOFTBALL

Aubrey Posen and her best friend, Chloe Beale, stood outside _Bellas_ staring at the new bar that was built right across the street from theirs. _Fat Amy's_ had only been open for two months and _Bellas_ had already lost several really good customers. It was starting to hit Aubrey's bottom line.

"I can't believe the city allowed them to build their bar across the street from ours," Aubrey said, seething. "And, they've got a line of people waiting to get in. What's so great about that bar?"

"I think we need to go on a recon mission," Chloe said. "I'll take Jessica and we'll go see why everyone is lining up to get in."

"That's not a bad idea," Aubrey said. "Get Jessica and go over there now. You can be back before we get too busy."

"Okay," Chloe said and went back inside to get Jessica.

Aubrey stood outside glaring at the bar across the street until Chloe and Jessica came back out. They had changed out of their uniforms and into their street clothes.

"We got this, boss," Jessica told Aubrey.

"Wait," Chloe said and unbuttoned two buttons on Jessica's blouse. She pulled them slightly to the side so more of Jessica's cleavage could be seen.

"Good idea," Aubrey said.

Chloe smiled and took her hair tie out and ran her hands through her hair, fluffing it up a bit. She untucked her shirt and unbuttoned all the buttons. She then pulled the ends together and tied it in a knot, allowing her sports bra to show.

"Looking sexy, Chloe," Jessica said.

"Look at the people in line," Chloe said. "We have to stand out and get noticed. Let's do this."

Aubrey grabbed Choe's arm as they started to walk off.

"If you can, take pictures," Aubrey said. "And, have a drink. I want to see if their bartenders are any good."

"Anything else?" Chloe asked.

"I'll text you if I think of anything," Aubrey said. "Keep your phones on."

"Got it," Chloe said. "Come on, Jess."

Chloe and Jessica hurried across the street and headed for the back of the line.

"Hey, Red!" Chloe turned to see if someone was shouting at her. "Over here."

Chloe saw the bouncer waving her over. She grabbed Jessica's arm and they made their way to the bouncer.

"You don't think he knows we work for _Bellas_ , do you?" Chloe asked Jessica.

"I don't think so," Jessica said.

Both girls were now nervous. The reached the bouncer and stood nervously in front of him.

"You ladies want to get into _Fat Amy's_?" He asked with a smile as he looked them up and down.

"Um, yeah, we do," Chloe said, striking a pose with her chest out and a hand on her hip.

"Ever been here before?" he asked.

"No, this is our first time," Jessica responded.

"Well, my orders are let only the prettiest people in," the bouncer said. He moved the rope out of the way and smiled. "Welcome to _Fat Amy's_ ," the bouncer said as he waved them in. "Enjoy yourselves."

The crowd starting yelling because they had been waiting a while to get in, but Chloe and Jessica didn't care.

"Thank you," they said as they entered _Fat Amy's_.

"No cover charge," Chloe said. "We'll have to tell Brey about that. No wonder people are lining up to get in."

"Wow," Jessica said. "The music is good. Really good."

"I know," Chloe said, chewing her bottom lip nervously. "Let's get a drink."

Jessica followed Chloe to the bar and ordered their drinks. Chloe took a sip of hers and said, "Oh, my God! That is so good."

"Mine, too," Jessica said. "I'm worried. This place is awesome and modern. Aubrey's going to have a lot of trouble keeping customers if she keeps playing the same old jukebox music and doesn't hire some real bartenders."

"This is bad," Chloe said as she continued to look around.

"What's bad?" A blonde woman with an Australian accent asked. "Is it your drink? Who made it? I'll fire them on the spot."

"No, no," Chloe reassured her. "The drink is great. I was just saying this is bad, because, um, it wouldn't take much to get me drunk off of these. They are sooooo good."

"So, you run the place?" Jessica asked.

"I own the place," the woman said. "Fat Amy's the name."

"You call yourself _Fat_ Amy?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Amy said. "So twig bitches like you don't say it behind my back."

"I'll drink to that," Jessica said, holding up her glass. Amy clinked their glasses and took a healthy gulp from hers.

"So, do either of you ladies need a job?" Amy asked.

"What?" Chloe asked, wide-eyed.

"I only hire pretty people to work here at _Fat Amy's_ ," Amy said. "You two are pretty people. I pay well and we are like a family here."

Jessica and Chloe just looked at her. "Think about it and come by during the day sometime if you're interested. Hey, Ashley!"

"Yeah, Amy?" Ashley, the bartender, called back.

"The next two drinks for these girls are on me," Amy said. "Have fun, ladies!"

With that, Amy was off and mixing into the crowd.

"What can I get you, ladies?" Ashley asked.

Jessica smiled and said, "Surprise me."

"I'll have whatever you make her," Chloe said.

Ashley grabbed a glass and started tossing bottles around while she made their drinks. Jessica and Chloe watched, mesmerized as Ashley performed a show. Ashley finished with a flourish and pushed the drinks toward Chloe and Jessica.

"Wow," was all Jessica could say. She took a sip of the drink and actually moaned at how good it was. "This is amazing!"

Chloe took a sip and was nodding her head in appreciation. The drink truly was amazing. "How did you learn how to do all that?"

"I went to school to become a mixologist," Ashley said. "Every bartender here is a certified mixologist." Another customer got Ashley's attention. "I have to go. Come see me when you're ready for another surprise."

Ashley winked at Jessica and moved farther down the bar.

"This is trouble," Chloe said. "We should probably go to tell Brey."

"We need to get pictures," Jessica said as she sipped at her drink. "Let's go dance and pretend to take pictures of each other so we can get everything."

"Good idea," Chloe said and led Jessica to the dance floor.

The two danced and took pictures of the club. Chloe was startled when a voice came through the speakers.

"Okay, ladies and gents," a somewhat sultry voice said. "I'm gonna slow it down a bit, so grab a partner and get to it."

"There's a DJ?" Chloe asked as she looked around. "Where are they?"

Jessica moved back and noticed a platform suspended above the dance floor.

"Up there," Jessica said and pointed up.

Chloe stepped back and looked up. "Whoa! No wonder the music is so good. They have a live DJ."

"Add the music to the list of awesome things about this place," Jessica said.

Chloe looked at Jessica with a frown. "We should go. Brey is going flip out when we tell her about all this."

Jessica sighed and nodded. The two girls left _Fat Amy's_ and went back to _Bellas_.

**~ SOFTBALL ~**

Aubrey sat with her head in her hands. "Is that it?"

"Yeah," Chloe said, sitting in a chair across from Aubrey.

"How can we compete with that?" Aubrey asked. "We don't have the money to make drastic changes or upgrades"

"Maybe we start slow," Chloe said. "Train our bartenders to become mixologists. Or hire certified mixologists."

"That's still going to cost us money," Aubrey said.

"You're going to have to spend money to make money," Jessica said.

"Why don't we add karaoke?" Chloe suggested. "People like karaoke."

"That's not a bad idea," Jessica said. "Live music is great, but letting people get up and sing will bring in a bigger crowd."

Aubrey nodded. "That is a good idea. Chloe, can you find someone to run it for us?"

"I'll start making calls tomorrow," Chloe said. "It's really late. Come on, Brey. We should go home. We can worry about this tomorrow."

**~ SOFTBALL ~**

Two months later, _Bellas_ was giving _Fat Amy's_ some serious competition. Karaoke became a nightly thing and Bellas was filled to capacity four out of seven nights a week. Aubrey trained the bartenders and now all were certified mixologists. People loved the throwback feel when the jukebox played during breaks in between karaoke sets.

Aubrey was smiling as she made her way around the bar. She looked up when she saw a leggy brunette enter with a blonde.

"Brey, that's Fat Amy," Chloe said as she ran up to her. "She owns _Fat Amy's_. What is she doing here?"

"Probably came to check on the competition," Aubrey said with a smug smile.

The blonde and the brunette walked over to the bar and ordered shots. The bartender tossed a few bottles and made a big show of pouring the shots.

"They stole our moves, Stacie," Amy said.

Stacie and Amy downed their shots and started looking around. "Hey, that redhead was at the club not too long ago. I bet she was there to spy on us."

"Come on, Amy," Stacie said. "Every bar has bartenders who do fancy moves to mix drinks. Plus, we're doing the same thing you claim the redhead did."

"Hey, bartender," Amy called out.

"The name's Emily," the bartender said. "Want another shot?"

"No, thanks," Stacie said. "We're looking for the owner."

Emily stretched her neck and looked around. "See that redhead over there," Emily said, pointing at Chloe. "She and the blonde next to her are the owners."

"Thanks," Stacie said, winking at the girl.

Stacie grabbed Amy's arm and made their way over to Aubrey and Chloe.

"Are you two the owners?" Stacie asked.

"We are," Aubrey responded.

"You stole my ideas," Amy said, waving her arms around.

"Excuse me?" Aubrey said, looking down her nose at Amy. "We didn't steal anything."

"I know Red here was in my bar a few months ago," Amy said. "And now you're suddenly flush with customers. My customers."

"You own these people?" Aubrey asked with a laugh. "They come here because we have karaoke and great drinks. Plus, dancing."

"Why can't we both share in the wealth?" Chloe asked. "You have your regulars and we have ours. Sometimes they go to your place for a change of pace. Sometimes they come here. We can both keep doing what we're doing and get along."

"Look, Pollyanna," Amy said. "This town isn't big enough for both of us. You need to peddle your wares elsewhere."

Aubrey laughed. "Are we in a bad western? Look, we were here first. If you can't stand the heat, then you should be the one to get out of the kitchen."

Amy and Aubrey glared at each other. Chloe finally spoke up.

"Let's have a competition," Chloe said. "No one has to shut down or anything. Instead, we make a promise that we won't enter the other's establishment without an invitation. That way, whatever new thing one of us does, the other cannot copy."

"That sounds reasonable, Amy," Stacie said. She looked at Chloe. "What kind of competition were you thinking?"

"Nothing that has to do with the bar or music," Chloe said and thought for a minute. Her face lit up as she asked, "How about softball?"

"Softball is good," Aubrey said with a sly smile. "I'll accept that."

Amy narrowed her eyes and glared at Aubrey. Something didn't feel right and she felt like she was being played.

"Could you give us a minute?" Stacie asked and grabbed Amy's arm and walked a few feet away. "You know Beca's a great softball player. And Ashley, Lily, and CR played in college. We can do this and win."

"Okay," Amy said.

Amy and Stacie went back over to Aubrey and Chloe. "We're in. What are the rules or conditions for this?"

The four women sat down and hashed out the details. After a bit of back and forth, they were ready.

"Okay," Aubrey said. "The game will be held one month from today. There will be no more than four men on either team on the field at one time. We will play five innings. If at the end of those five innings we are tied, we will continue playing until there is a winner. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Amy said.

Amy and Stacie left _Bellas_ and Aubrey sat back with a smile. "Playing softball was a great idea, Chlo. They don't know what they're in for."

**~ SOFTBALL ~**

"Alright, Beca," Amy said, holding the brunette by the shoulders. "We're counting on you to help bring us home the win."

Beca looked over at the other team. "You do know that the tall blonde and the redhead standing next to her are former State All-Stars, right?"

"What?" Amy said and turned to look at Aubrey and Chloe. "No wonder they suggested softball. They're ringers."

"Um, didn't you do the same thing?" Beca asked. "You have me, Lily, Ashley, and Emily who've all played at both the High School and college level."

"That's different," Amy said and picked up her clipboard. She pulled off a page and handed it to Beca.

"What's this?"

"That's our roster," Amy said. "Take it over to blondie and get theirs."

"Okay," Beca said and made her way to the other dugout.

Aubrey and Chloe had their backs to Beca when she walked up.

"Brey, I'm telling you that _**is**_ Beca Mitchell," Chloe said. "I'd recognize her anywhere."

Beca smiled as she stood behind Aubrey and Chloe.

"How can you be so sure?" Aubrey said. "It's been seven years."

"You know I had a major crush on her," Chloe said. "I'd recognize her anywhere. Except I think she's even hotter now."

"Keep it in your pants, Chloe," Aubrey said. "We can still win this. We have us, Jessica, and Tom. We were all State All-Stars."

"But, Beca was a _National_ All-Star," Chloe said. "For four years straight. She was so good. And I so wanted to ask her out."

"So, why didn't you?" Beca asked.

Aubrey and Chloe both whipped around to see Beca standing there, smiling at them. "I would have said yes," she added and winked at Chloe.

"Be-Beca Mitchell?" Chloe stammered. "What are you doing here?"

"Same as you, Beale," Beca said. "Playing softball. I have our roster here. And I need yours."

"I'll get it," Aubrey said and hurried away.

"So, you had a crush on me," Beca said. "I wish I'd known because I had a major crush on you, too."

"You did?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, I did," Beca said. "Maybe still do."

"Here you go," Aubrey said, handing the roster to Beca.

"Thanks," Beca said. "See you on the field." Beca started to walk away but stopped and turned to face Chloe. "Maybe you should ask me out after the game. I'll probably say yes."

Beca winked at Chloe again and turned and walked away. All Chloe could do was watch her.

"Chloe, come on," Aubrey said. "Get your head in the game. She's trying to fluster you."

"It's working," Chloe mumbled.

**~ SOFTBALL ~**

The game was in its third inning and the score was tied 1-1. Beca was pitching and Aubrey was in the batter's box looking at a 3-2 count. There was a runner on second and one out.

Beca pitched the ball and Aubrey swung. The ball was a line drive straight at Beca. Beca threw her left hand up and caught the ball barehanded. She turned and tossed the ball to Emily at second base easily getting the third out as the runner was already halfway to third when Beca caught the ball.

The inning was over and Amy and Stacie ran to Beca to make sure she was okay.

"I'm fine," Beca said. "My hand stings a bit, but I'm fine. Don't worry."

The inning was moving along slowly. Beca's hand started to hurt and was throbbing, but she kept it hidden from the others. It was beginning to swell and she's afraid it may be broken. She looked down at her hand and shook her head.

"DJ Mitch, you're on deck," Stacie called out.

Beca looked up and grabbed a bat in her right hand. She made her way to the deck circle and tried to take a few swings. Her hand was definitely injured and she could not continue.

Beca stepped out of the circle and called out, "Amy, Stacie." They both looked over to her and she waved them over.

Stacie and Amy hurried over. "What's up, shortstuff?" Amy asked.

"I, uh, think my hand's broken," Beca said, holding her left arm with her right hand.

"Jesus, Beca," Stacie said, looking at her hand. She gently held Beca's wrist as she examined her hand. "We need to get you to the hospital."

"Ump, we need a time out," Amy shouted to the umpire.

"You got two minutes," the umpire shouted back and called time on the field.

Chloe and Jessica ran over to Aubrey on the pitcher's mound.

"What's going on?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know," Aubrey said. "But it looks like it has something to do with Beca."

Chloe looked over and saw Stacie examining Beca's hand. "Oh, my gosh. Do you think it's broken?"

"I, uh, I don't know," Aubrey said. "She did catch my hit barehanded. It was a line drive so it had to hurt."

"But, she threw Lisa out at second," Jessica said.

"Probably didn't feel anything because of the adrenalin," Chloe said.

"Let's go, ladies," the umpire called out.

"We can't," Stacie said and the umpire walked over to see what was going on.

"Oh, wow," the umpire said. "You need to get her to the hospital."

"We know," Beca said through gritted teeth. "We don't have anyone to substitute in for me."

"Then you'll have to forfeit," the umpire said.

"No," Amy whined.

"Amy, Beca's got a broken hand," Stacie said. "There's no way she can continue. We have to forfeit. Come on, Beca, I'll drive you to the hospital."

"Fine," Amy said. "I'll inform Aubrey."

Stacie gathered up her and Beca's stuff while Amy waved her team out of the dugout and made their way to Aubrey and Chloe on the pitcher's mound. The rest of Aubrey's team ran in to stand behind their bosses, unsure of what was happening.

"Um, we have to forfeit," Amy said as she stood in front of Aubrey and Chloe. "It appears that Beca broke her hand."

Stacie was leading Beca toward the parking lot.

"Oh," Chloe said and looked over to see Beca walking with Stacie.

Chloe chewed her bottom lip and made a decision. She pushed away from Aubrey and went running over to Beca and Stacie.

"Beca, wait," Chloe called out.

Beca and Stacie stopped and turned around.

"I'll meet you at the car," Stacie said. "Don't take too long."

"I won't," Beca said as Stacie walked away. She turned to face Chloe, holding her hand to her chest. "What's up, Chloe?"

"The game is over," Chloe said.

"I'm aware," Beca said, holding her hand up a bit. "Are you here to gloat because we had to forfeit?"

"No, I'm here to ask you out because the game is over," Chloe said, smiling. "You said I should."

Beca smiled. "I also said I'd probably say yes."

"Well? Are you?" Chloe asked, stepping closer to Beca. "Saying yes?"

Beca looked back to see both teams watching them. She turned back to Chloe. "Yes, I'm saying yes."

Chloe squealed and grabbed Beca to her. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"Oh, sorry," Chloe said, quickly releasing Beca.

"It's okay," Beca said, grimacing slightly. "We can talk later because my hand hurts like a bitch and I need to get to the hospital."

"Can I go to the hospital with you?" Chloe asked.

"I'd like that," Beca said. "We can talk about what you're planning for our date."

"Okay," Chloe said. "I'm just going to grab my stuff and be right back."

Chloe kissed Beca on the cheek and rushed back toward the ballfield. Beca shook her head and walked toward Stacie's car. She got in and Stacie helped buckle her seat belt.

"What was that all about?" Stacie asked.

"Chloe wants to ride with us to the hospital," Beca said, blushing and trying to hide her smile.

"You lady-killer," Stacie said and laughed when Beca's blush deepened.

Chloe ran past the teams and into the dugout. She grabbed her stuff and yelled over her shoulder as she ran past Aubrey, "I'm going to the hospital with Beca."

"Go get your girl, Chloe," Jessica yelled and the others cheered.

Chloe was smiling when she got to Stacie's car. She threw her stuff in the back and jumped in. Stacie drove off.

**~ SOFTBALL ~**

Two years later, the team from _Bellas_ was playing the team from _Fat Amy's_ in their second annual charity softball game. They sold tickets to the game at twenty dollars each. Each ticketholder got to see the game, and food and drinks were provided. One-hundred percent of the profits went to a local charity.

The first year was a little disappointing, but this year they did rather well. Beca was talking to Aubrey and Stacie before the game started.

"You ready for this?" Stacie asked.

"I'm nervous, but, yeah, I'm ready," Beca said with a smile.

"Don't worry, Beca," Aubrey said. "She'll say yes."

Beca smiled when she saw Chloe running toward her. She braced herself for the inevitable crash of Chloe's body into hers.

"Oomph!" Beca said as she caught Chloe.

Chloe laughed and kissed Beca. "Hey, babe."

"Hey, gorgeous," Beca said and kissed Chloe. "Hey, can I talk to you before the game starts."

"Sure," Chloe said. She turned to Stacie and Aubrey. "Excuse us, we'll be right back."

Beca took Chloe's hand and walked to the _Bellas'_ dugout. Beca stopped and turned to face Chloe.

"It was two years ago, almost to the day, that I saw you again after seven years," Beca said. "You were standing right here, talking to Aubrey."

"Becs, what are you doing?" Chloe asked, totally confused.

"I realized the minute I saw you standing there, that I had fallen in love with you back when we were seventeen and played softball against each other. When I overheard you tell Aubrey that you wish you had asked me out back then, my heart skipped a beat. After the game was over, you did ask me out and also went to the hospital with me. I think it was the moment I saw you sitting by the bed while my hand was being put in a cast that I knew falling in love with you was easy and it was happening all over again."

Beca reached into her pocket and got down on one knee, causing Chloe to let out a small gasp.

"I love you and I thought it only fitting that I asked you this most important question in the same spot where we reconnected. So, Chloe Beale, will you marry me?"

Both teams stood around the couple and waited for Chloe to answer. Chloe looked down at Beca with tears in her eyes. Beca was getting nervous and looked around.

"Um," Beca said, turning to face Chloe. "Chlo?"

"Yes," Chloe said, suddenly realizing she hadn't answered. "Oh, my God, yes!"

Beca let out the breath she had been holding and stood to place the ring on Chloe's finger. She pulled Chloe to her and whispered, "I love you" before capturing her lips in a kiss.

The teams cheered, the crowd cheered, and everyone applauded for the newly engaged couple.

Beca and Chloe were smiling as they accepted everyone's congratulations.

"Come on, girls," Aubrey called out. "We have a game to play!"

Beca kissed Chloe and turned to go to her dugout. Chloe grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Don't be a hero and make any barehanded catches," Chloe said and then leaned in to whisper in Beca's ear. "I have plans for that hand later."

Chloe kissed Beca and turned to walk away, thinking she had flustered Beca. She was surprised when she felt Beca pull her back and hold Chloe close to her.

"Don't worry," Beca said with a smirk. "I plan on hitting a home run later so don't tire yourself out."

Beca winked at Chloe and Chloe giggled. Chloe turned to walk back to the dugout. Beca laughed when she saw Chloe put a little more wiggle in her hips as she walked away.

"I love you, Chloe Beale," Beca yelled after Chloe.

"I love you, too, Beca Mitchell," Chloe yelled from the dugout.


End file.
